THE    ORIGIN 


EARLY  HISTORY 

OP    THE 

Conflreaattonal  JttetfjoMst  01t)urtt) 


Rev.  S.  CMc  Daniel 


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Columbia  ZHnittertfttp 

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THE  LIBRARIES 


Bequest  of 

Frederic  Bancroft 

1860-1945 


T„Ep 


RIGIN 


AND 


EARLY  HISTORY 


OF    THE 


'rrajrsjidtmraJ  B*%At*i  i%«f4 


By  Rev.  S.  C.   McDaniel. 


ATLANTA.  GEORGIA. 
Jas.  P.  Harrison  &  Co.,  Printers  and  Publishers. 

188.. 


JLJLfr 


To  all  Lovers  of  the  Doctrines  of  Original 
Methodism, 

believers  in   ministerial   equality,   and   advocates 

of  republican  government  in  church 

as  well  as  state, 

This  Little  Book  is  Dedicated  by 

THE  COMMITTEE. 


PREFACE. 


No  apology  is  necessary  for  the  appearance  of  this 
volume ;  Church  history  is  always  an  interesting 
subject  of  study.  Had  the  history  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Methodist  Church  been  written  fifteen  years 
ago,  much  which  now  is  perhaps  forever  lost  to  pos- 
terity would  have  been  preserved. 

Twenty-seven  years  after  the  organization  of  the 
Church  but  few  of  the  first  actors  were  left  on  the 
stage,  and  the  passing  years  had  greatly  diminished 
the  store  of  recollection  of  those  who  still  remained. 
This,  added  to  the  natural  weakness  of  human  mem- 
ory, and  the  great  political,  civil  and  social  revolu- 
tion through  which  our  section  had  passed  during 
the  last  quarter  of  a  century,  rendered  the  effort  to 
trace  the  events  of  1852  in  1879  exceedingly  difficult. 

The  great  age  and  feeble  health  of  the  Chairman 
of  the  Committee  (Rev.  H.  Phinazee),  caused  him  to 
decline  writing  this  history,  for  which  he  was  better 
qualified  than  any  living  man,  except,  perhaps,  Rev. 
J.  F.  N.  Huddleston. 


6  Preface. 

At  the  solicitation  of  brother  Phinazee,  I  agreed 
to  undertake  the  task  of  compilation  in  pursuance  of 
the  design  of  the  Georgia  State  Conference. 

For  some  time  after  it  had  been  arranged  that  I 
should  do  this  part  of  the  work,  I  found  myself  un- 
able to  start  for  the  lack  of  information  of  the  incep- 
tion of  the  movement.  This,  however,  was  soon 
supplied  by  a  number  of  good  brethren  who  were 
actors  in  the  movement. 

In  the  progress  of  the  work,  however,  I  was  des- 
tined to  meet  more  formidable  difficulties. 

One  serious  impediment  in  my  way  was  my  inabil- 
ity to  learn  anything  definite  as  to  the  start  of  the 
Church  in  the  State  of  Alabama.  Again  and  again 
I  sought  light  on  this  point — in  every  known  way, 
and  through  all  discoverable  channels — but  all  to  no 
purpose,  for  I  was  eventually  obliged,  after  delaying 
the  completion  of  the  work  for  some  weeks,  to  close 
my  labors  without  any  history  of  the  original  move- 
ment in  Alabama. 

Another  serious  trouble  met  me  when  I  came  to 
treat  of  the  Convention  of  the  Churches,  which 
met  in  1S55.  Although  there  was  doubtless  a  full 
record  of  its  proceedings  kept,  all  my  efforts  to  find 
such  a  record  were  utterly  unavailing,  and  1  was 
obliged  to  depend  on  the  few  survivors  of  that  body 
to  furnish  details  of  its  proceedings,  and  with  these 
J   was  forced  to  content   myself. 


Preface.  7 

Thus  circumstanced,  my  task  has  been  a  difficult 
one — beyond  what  I  had  anticipated — and,  by  the 
blessings  of  God,  good  health  and  strength,  and  the 
assistance  of  many  of  my  good  brethren,  I  eventually 
completed  my  task,  such  as  it  is. 

I  am  fully  aware  of  the  many  imperfections  of  the 
work  for  which  I  have  no  other  apology  to  make  than 
simply  to  say,  it  is  the  best  I  could  do  under  the  cir- 
cumstances. At  the  hands  of  a  charitable  Christian 
public  I  expect  no  unkindness;  and  if  any  should  be 
so  unreasonable  as  to  blame  me  because  I  did  not 
have  the  ability  to  write  a  better  book,  I  have  no 
quarrel  for  them. 


MlCKELBERRY   MERRIT. 


INTRODUCTION 


In  order  that  this  history  may  be  better  under- 
stood, a  short  introduction  is  thought  to  be  neces- 
sary. 

The  publication  of  the  articles  in  The  Congrega- 
tional Methodist  ended  in  the  spring  of  1880,  and  the 
design  was  then  to  have  the  work  put  in  book  form 
without  any  delay;  but  no  definite  action  in  this 
particular  having  been  had  by  the  Georgia  State 
Conference,  the  matter  was  delayed  until  the  meet- 
ing of  that  body  in  the  fall  of  that  year.  At  that 
session  such  arrangements  were  made  as  would  secure 
the  publication  of  the  book  before  the  sitting  of  the 
General  Conference  in  May,  1881. 

In  writing  the  history,  I  was  desirous  of  showing 
the  changes  which  have  been  made  from  the  first 
organization  until  the  present ;  and  not  having  one 
of  the  original  books  of  Discipline,  I  made  inquiry 
among  my  brethren  for  one,  and  found  it  exceed- 
ingly difficult  to  find,  but  eventually  I  was  kindly 
furnished  one  by  brother  George  W.  Todd,  of  Mis- 
sissippi ;  and  believing  that  very  few  of  those  little 
books  are  now  to  be  found,  I  have,  upon  consulta- 
tion with  brothers  U.  C.  Fambrough  and  James  G. 


io  Introduction. 

Phinazee  (who  are  assisting  me  in  the  publishing  of 
this  book),  concluded  to  add,  as  an  appendix  to  this 
book,  all  that  part  of  the  original  book  of  Discipline 
which  has  been  in  any  manner  changed  from  the 
organization  of  the  first  church  to  the  present  time. 
The  appendix  contains  all  tne  first  twenty-one  pages, 
except  the  "Advisory  Rules,"  which  in  that  book 
were  placed  between  the  articles  "Terms  of  Member- 
ship" and  "Of  Offences."  The  remainder  of  the 
book  contains  the  "Advisory  Rules,"  the  twenty-five 
Articles  of  Religion,  including  the  note  to  be  found 
at  the  bottom  of  39th  page  of  our  present  book  of 
Discipline,  and  as  marked  at  the  close  of  the  XXIII. 
Article  of  Religion.  In  addition  to  these  the  little 
book  had  a  form  for  administration  of  the  Lord's 
Supper;  one  for  the  baptism  of  infants;  one  for  the 
baptism  of  adults;  one  for  ordination  of  Elders,  of 
Elder's  credentials,  and  closing  with  the  resolution  as 
copied  in  Chapter  V11I.  of  this  book. 

This  much  of  the  book  is  given  in  orde'r  that  the 
old  landmarks  may  be  preserved.  The  whole  of  it 
is  not  included  in  the  appendix,  because  it  would  be 
increasing  the  cost  of  the  book  without  increasing  its 
value. 

It  has  been  thought  best  to  bind  the  book  in  cheap 
binding,  so  as  to  put  it  within  the  reach  of  all,  but 
to  print  it  on  the  very  best  paper  to  be  had  in  order 
that  it  may  be  preserved,  and,  if  necessary,  rebound. 

It  is  hoped  the  book  will  give  satisfaction. 


ORIGIN  AND  EARLY  HISTORY 


OF   THE 


Congregational  4l|rf!i|p!list  4Pinrch. 


CHAPTER  I 


The  causes  which  led  to  the  organization  of  the 
Congregational  Methodist  Church,  like  the  origin  of 
all  great  movements,  are  involved  in  mystery  to 
some  extent  ;  some  of  them,  however,  are  known  to 
those  who  witnessed  the  first  organization,  and  will 
here  be  treated  of. 

Methodism  in  America  was  originally  a  kind  of 
missionary  Church,  and  in  its  earliei  days  the  "itiner- 
acy" was  the  life-blood  of  the  whole  system,  and,  as 
the  people  were  looked  after  by  the  pioneer  Meth- 
odist circuit-rider,  more  on  the  fashion  of  sheep 
without  a  shepherd  than  otherwise  ;  and  as  there 
were  but  few  regular  churches  and  fewer  church 
houses,  and  the  people  in  many  instances  as  migra- 
tory as  their  teachers,  who  changed  fields  every  year, 
there  was  not  much  government,  except  such  as  oper- 
ated on  the  preachers  themselves,  and  as  they  made 


12  Origin  and  Early  History 

very  light  demands  on  the  membership  for  pay,  it 
was  very  natural  that  as  they  did  all  the  work,  and 
frequently  without  any  considerable  compensation, 
the  membership  should  readily  accord  to  them  the 
right  to  govern  the  Church.  For  a  number  of  years, 
about  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century,  there 
was  but  one  Bishop  in  the  whole  United  States,  and 
he  received  only  sixteen  dollars  a  quarter  for  his 
salary,  and  the  rest  of  the  clergy  fared  about  the 
same  way,  and  it  will  not  astonish  any  one  to  know, 
that  whatever  Bishop  Asbury  did  in  governing  the 
Church  was  never  complained  of  by  the  laity.  As 
early  as  1816,  however,  the  clergy  began  to  contro- 
vert the  propriety  of  the  Bishops  having  the  right  to 
appoint  the  Presiding  Elders,  and  in  1820,  the  Gen- 
eral Conference,  at  Baltimore,  passed  a  resolution 
authorizing  the  Conference  to  elect  the  Presiding 
Elders.  Joshua  Soule  was  at  the  same  Conference 
elected  a  Bishop,  but  declined  to  serve  on  account 
of  the  passage  of  said  resolution.  Bishop  McKen- 
dree,  however  (not  being  present  when  the  resolution 
passed),  went  into  the  Conference  and  induced  the 
suspension  of  said  resolution  for  four  years.  This 
and  kindred  questions  continued  to  excite  the  Church 
until  1828,  when  it  resulted  in  the  formation  of  the 
Methodist  Protestant  Church,  which  was  composed 
mainly  of  the  dissatisfied  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  This  organization  differed  1 10111 
the  one  from  whence  it  originated  mainly  in  two 
features,  viz:  it  had  no  Episcopacy,  and  allowed  lay 
representation  in  its  Conferences.  But  as  time 
rolled  on,  the  world  advanced,  and  experience  proved 


Congregational  Methodist  Church.  13 

eventually  that  other  important  reforms  were  needed 
to  fully  adapt  Methodism  to  a  thickly  settled  and 
advancing  country. 

About  the  year  1850,  Rev.  Lovick  Pierce,  then  one 
of  the  leading  spirits  in  the  M.  E.  Church,  South, 
wrote  a  series  of  very  strong  articles,  which  were 
published  in  the  Southern  Christian  Advocate,  on  the 
subject  of  public  worship,  in  which  he  showed  the 
absolute  necessity  of  abandoning  the  old  style  of 
week-day  preaching  on  circuits,  and  the  necessity  of 
Saturday  and  Sabbath  preaching.  He  met  stout 
opposition  from  the  pen  of  the  venerable  Allen 
Turner  and  others,  and  thus  the  minds  of  the  laity 
were  directed  to  this  matter.  The  investigation  on 
this  point  led  to  the  discovery  of  another  defect  in 
the  governmental  economy  of  the  M.  E.  Church, 
South,  which  appeared  to  have  been  entirely  over- 
looked up  to  this  time,  viz  :  the  degraded  station 
which  local  ministers  were  obliged  to  take  and  main- 
tain in  said  Church.  Although  a  great  deal  of  the 
work  of  the  Church  was  done  by  them,  they  were 
'neither  allowed  to  exercise  any  governing  function 
over  the  thousands  of  converts  who  annually  were 
brought  into  the  Church  through  the  instrumentality 
of  their  labors,  nor  to  have  any  voice  in  saying  who 
should  govern  either  their  converts  or  themselves. 
This  truth,  perhaps,  was  to  a  greater  extent  opera- 
tive in  the  production  of  the  Congregational  Meth- 
odist Church  than  any  other  one  thing.  It  is  true 
the  originators  of  this  Church  were  opposed  to 
Episcopacy,  and  opposed  to  the  government  of  the 
Church  being  entirely  in  the  hands  of  the  clergy ; 


14  Origin  and  Early  History 

they  also  objected  to  itineracy  as  a  system  in  any 
form  as  being  inoperative,  cumbersome  and  unneces- 
sarily expensive.  •  But  the  great  sun  and  centre  of 
their  system  was  the  desire  that  there  should  be  no 
artificial,  unscriptural  and  hurtful  distinction  among 
the  watchmen  who  had  been  placed  as  sentinels  on 
the  watch-tower  of  salvation  by  the  Great  Captain 
of  the  armies  of  heaven  and  earth. 


Congregational  Methodist  Church.  15 


CHAPTER    II. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  year  1852,  there  lived  in 
middle  Georgia,  and  principally  in  Monroe  county, 
several  prominent  local  preachers  belonging  to  the 
M.  E.  Church,  South,  among  whom  were  Rev. 
Hiram  Phinazee,  then  a  little  less  than  fifty  years 
old;  Absalom  Ogletree,  near  the  same  age;  J.  F. 
Wethersbee,  some  few  years  younger,  and  J.  F.  N. 
Huddleston  and  W.  H.  Graham,  then  young  men, 
perhaps  about  thirty  years  old.  There  were  also  in 
the  same  section  of  country  a  number  of  laymen, 
distinguished  for  their  intelligence  and  high-toned 
demeanor,  as  well  as  their  piety  and  generosity. 
Among  the  latter  may  be  enumerated  Mickleberry 
Merritt,  W.  L.  Fambrough,  Robinson  Fambrough, 
John  Ham,  Jackson  Bush,  William  A.  McCune, 
John  E.  Pettegrew,  James  R.  McCord,  David  Ogle- 
tree,  E.  White,  Robert  Walker,  S.  F.  Speer,  J.  W. 
McCord,  John  Goodrum,  and  many  others.  Of  the 
ministers  above  named,  all  were  active  and  laborious 
workers,  and  remarkably  successful  in  their  efforts. 
They  were  traveling  to  the  various  churches  in  their 
section,  and  regularly  on  the  Sabbath  days  preach- 
ing the  Word,  and  large  numbers  were  converted 
under  their  preaching,  and  revivals  sprang  up  in 
different  places.  Soon  the  fact  began  to  attract  at- 
tention that,  although  these  good  men  did  most  of 
the  work  in  the  revivals,  the  circuit-rider  must  needs 
receive  the  new  converts  into  the  Church  and  baptize 
them,  while  those  under  whose  ministry  they  had 


1 6  Origin  and  Early  History 

been  awakened  and  converted,  stood  by  with  folded 
hands,  without  even  a  voice  as  to  whether  the  appli- 
cants should  be  received  into  the  Church  or  not. 

This  proved  an  excellent  eye-opener  to  the  intelli- 
gent laymen,  who  began  to  notice  and  comment  on 
this  peculiar  and  not  very  admirable  feature  in  their 
Church  government,  and  the  airing  of  this  part  of 
the  polity  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South,  by  the  laity, 
excited  in  the  minds  of  the  local  ministers  a  spirit  of 
inquiry  into  their  own  positions,  and  thus  the  ball 
began  to  roll,  and  the  more  they  looked  into  the 
matter  the  more  they  felt  the  urgent  necessity  of 
some  sort  of  reform. 

At  this  time,  Rev.  Dr.  McCarell  Peurifoy  was  on 
the  Forsyth  circuit,  Rev.  John  B.  Wardlaw  on  the 
Jackson  circuit,  and  Rev.  John  C.  Simmons  the  Pre- 
siding Elder.  This  excitement  was  greater  within 
the  bounds  of  these  two  circuits  than  elsewhere. 
The  circuit-riders  and  the  Elder  were  not  well 
pleased  with  the  turn  the  tide  of  affairs  were  taking, 
and  began  to  apply  their  correctives  like  the  old  ad- 
vocates of  blistering  in  the  shape  counter-irritants, 
by  gravely  intimating  that  the  "  least  said"  about 
these  imperfections  in  the  machinery  of  the  M.  E. 
Church,  South,  would  be  the  easiest  mended  ;  and 
that  unless  the  ministers  desisted  from  the  too  free 
use  of  their  tongues,  they  might  find  their  authority 
to  preach  taken  away,  and  that  the  laymen,  unless 
they  should  become  more  prudent  in  the  expression 
of  their  dissent  to  the  high  Episcopacy  of  their 
Church,  would  find  themselves  outside  of  the  pale  of 
the  Church, 


Wm.  L.  Fambrough. 


Congregational  Methodist  Church.  \J 

But  such  threats  were  but  idle  words  to  such 
men,  and  they  heeded  them  as  little  as  did  Daniel 
the  mandate  of  the  king  against  prayer,  and  were  as 
careless  of  the  threatened  harm  as  were  Shadrach, 
Meshach  and  Abednego  of  the  rage  of  the  monarch 
when  they  refused  to  fall  down  and  worship  the 
golden  image  which  Nebuchadnezzar,  the  king,  had 
set  up  "  in  the  plain  of  Dura." 


iS  Origin  and  Early  History 


CHAPTER  III. 

Early  in  the  year  1852,  the  feeling  of  dissatisfac- 
tion referred  to  in  the  second  chapter  of  this  history, 
became  so  manifest  and  public  that  it  was  evident 
some  kind  of  action  was  about  to  be  taken,  the  cir- 
cuit-riders on  the  Jackson  and  Forsyth  works — doubt- 
less believing  harm  would  result  from  any  separate 
organization,  strove  hard  to  avert  it.  The  Presiding 
Elder  of  the  district  also  added  his  most  earnest  en- 
deavors to  preserve  the  unity  of  the  M.  E.  Church, 
South,  by  preventing  organization.  But  the  die  had 
been  cast,  the  purpose  of  the  men  moving  in  the  mat- 
ter was  not  a  mere  whim,  to  pass  away  like  the 
morning  cloud.  It  was  not  dissatisfaction  growing 
out  of  individual  wrong  ;  it  was  a  deep  seated,  firmly 
rooted  and  fixed  dissatisfaction  with  the  very  foun- 
dation stone  of  their  ecclesiastical^?//*?///;/.  And  the 
solemn  alternative  was  presented  to  them  of  forming 
a  Church  government  of  their  own,  with  which  they 
might  be  satisfied,  or  of  living  for  the  balance  of  their 
lives  under  a  Church  government  with  which  they 
never  could  be  contented.  And  although  it  was 
painful  for  these  good  men  thus  to  sever  themselves 
from  a  Church  in  whose  doctrines  they  most  "stead- 
fastly believed,"  and  from  brethren  and  sisters  with 
whom  they  had  lived  so  long  and  so  lovingly ;  yet 
upon  their  knees,  with  hearts  uplifted  to  the  Great 
Head  of  the  Church,  they  felt  it  to  be  their  duty,  to 
sever  their  relationship  to  the  M.  E.  Church,  South, 
and  with  them  the  voice  of  duty  was  ever  heeded. 


Congregational  Methodist  Church.  19 

Accordingly  on  the  cSth  day  of  May,  1852,  a  meet- 
ing was  had  at  the  house  of  Mickleberry  Merritt,  in 
Munroe  county,  Georgia,  for  the  purpose  of  organiz- 
ing a  Church.     At  this  meeting  there  were  but  few 
present  save  those  who  took  part  in  that  meeting. 
At  this  late  period  it  is  impossible   to  state  exactly 
all  who  did  then  cast  in  their  lots  with  the  "little 
flock"  there  assembled  ;  perhaps  a  majority  of  the 
actors  in  that  scene  have  passed  away,  while  those 
who  remain  are  scattered  abroad  over  the  earth,  and 
from  the  loss  of  the  records  or  minutes  of  this  meet- 
ing and  the  frailty  of  the  human  memory,  the  full  his- 
tory cannot  now  be  given.     This  is  to  be  regretted, 
for  the  reason  that  to  those  who  shall  come  after  us, 
especially  will  it  be  of  the  greatest  interest  to  know 
all  the  particulars  of  this  small beginning.     The  meet- 
ing was  not  so  large  as  had  been  anticipated — some 
who  had  intended  to  take  part  in  the  movement  had, 
from  an  unknown  cause,  changed  their  minds — and 
when  the  hour  of  decisive  action  came  were  not  there. 
Like  Gideon's  army  the  little  company,  by  the  appli- 
cation of  the  severest  tests,  had  been  lessened  until 
all  the  feeble  of  purpose  and  faint-hearted  had  been 
left  at  the  rear ;  and  it  was  only  those  who  had  been 
found  worthy  to  defy  the  flames  of  persecution  ;  who 
stood  at  the  front  with  purposes  set,  hearts  fixed  and 
ears  deaf  to  all  other  sounds  save  that  of  the  call  to 
duty,  that  gathered  round  the  cradle  of  the  infant 
Church  to  catch  the  first  impress  of  its  features,  as 
the  wise  men  of  the  East  gathered  at  the  manger  to 
see  the  beauty  of  "The  Babe  of  Bethlehem." 

The  meeting  organized  by  calling  William  L.  Fam- 


20  Origin  and  Early  History. 

brough  to  the  chair,  and  requesting  Rev.  H.  Phina- 
zee  to  act  as  secretary.  The  exercises  of  the  meet- 
ing were  opened  with  prayer  led  by  Rev.  William  H. 
Graham.  The  names  of  the  following  brethren  were 
then  enrolled  by  the  secretary  as  the  membership  of 
the  infant  Church  :  W.  L.  Fambrough,  Rev.  Hiram 
Phinazee,  Rev.  Absalom  Ogletree,  Rev.  W.  H.  Gra- 
ham, Robinson  Fambrough,  Jackson  Bush,  John 
Flynt,  James  M.  Flemming,  George  W.  Todd,  Mick- 
leberry  Merritt,  and  Travis  Ivey.  The  meeting 
adopted  a  preamble  and  sundry  resolutions,  drawn 
wp  by  Rev.  Hiram  Phinazee,  as  the  basis  of  their  ac- 
tion, and  then  adjourned. 

The  preamble  and  resolutions  adopted  at  this 
meeting  are  probably  not  now  in  existence ;  at  all 
events  I  have  been  unable  to  find  them.  This  is 
greatly  to  be  regretted,  because  what  these  good  men 
then  committed  to  writing  as  to  their  desires  and  in- 
tentions, would  be  exceedingly  interesting  to  us,  and 
much  more  to  future  generations.  The  venerable 
secretary  of  that  meeting,  who  drafted  these  expres- 
sions of  the  feelings  of  the  meeting  still  remembers 
the  substance  thereof.  The  preamble  set  out  the  in- 
efficiency of  the  itinerant  system,  as  then  practiced, 
of  large  circuits  and  generally  week-day  preaching 
at  country  churches,  declaring  that  the  preaching  to 
walls  and  benches  would  never  evangelize  the  mass  of 
the  people.  2.  The  danger  of  a  government  where 
the  whole  power  was  in  the  same  hands.  3.  The  im- 
propriety of  depriving  the  people  of  a  voice  in  their 
own  government.  4.  The  unscriptural  character  of 
the  invidious  distinctions  made  by  the  laws  of  the 


Congregational  Methodist  Church.  21 

M.  E.  Church,  South,  between  the  itinerant  and  local 
divisions  of  their  ministers.  5.  That  there  was  no 
reason  to  suppose  these  features  of  the  government 
of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South,  would  be  changed  soon, 
if  ever. 

And  the  resolutions  declared  the  intention  of 
those  taking  part  in  the  meeting  to  establish  a  Church 
whose  doctrines  should  be  exactly  Methodistic,  but 
whose  government  should  be  in  accordance  with  our 
civil  institutions  and  their  own  ideas  of  propriety. 
Thus  declaring  to  the  world  and  their  former  breth- 
ren the  motives  of  their  conduct,  they  weighed 
anchor,  and  spread  to  the  breeze  the  sail  of  THE 
CONGREGATIONAL  METHODIST  CHURCH. 


22  Origin  and  Early  History 


CHAPTER  IV. 

The  meeting  at  brother  Merritt's  on  the  8th  of 
May,  1852,  was  indeed  the  "small  beginning,"  of  a 
great  work.  Two  characteristics  of  the  meeting  I 
desire  to  notice  in  this  number,  I.  There  was  not  a 
single  one  of  those  who  then  and  there  took  the 
important  step  of  organizing  a  new  Church,  who  did 
so  hastily — or  in  a  spirit  of  envy  or  ambition.  They 
would  have  made  any  reasonable  sacrifice,  or  con- 
cession to  maintain  their  former  Church  relations, 
would  have  been  willing  to  labor  resolutely  or  wait 
patiently  for  needed  reform,  if  there  had  been  any 
prospect  that  labor  or  waiting  would  have  brought 
them  about.  But  no  such  prospect  appeared  in  any 
quarter,  and  the  course  which  they  then  pursued 
presented  the  only  course  proper  for  them  to  adopt. 
Such  has  ever  been  the  conduct  of  reformers,  either 
in  Church  or  State,  when  they  have  been  good  men. 
Luther,  Zwingle  and  Melancthon,  were  loth  to  sever 
their  relationship  with  the  Roman  Church,  and  only 
did  so  because  it  was  their  their  duty.  John  and 
Charles  Wesley,  George  Whitfield,  and  their  co- 
laborers  maintained  their  relations  with  the  Episco- 
pal Church  as  long  as  possible.  And  so  did  these 
good  men  in  [852  reluctantly  do  what  the  voice  of 
duty  demanded  at  their  hands.  2.  This  action  on 
the  part  of  these  men,  met  with  the  most  deter- 
mined opposition  from  the  Church  from  which  they 
separated.  This  also  has  ever  been  the  case  with 
similar  movements.     To  a  disinterested  and  unbiased 


Congregational  Methodist  Church.  23 

judgment   it  would  seem  quite  unnatural,  that  any- 
Church  should  not  willingly  consent  that  any  num- 
ber of  its  members  who  were  dissatisfied  with  either 
its    doctrines   or   polity,   should   "  depart   in   peace,'' 
but  history  shows  that  they  have  scarcely  ever  been 
willing  for  their  brethren  to  leave  their  fold,  and  go 
where  they  would  be  better  satisfied.     The  ministers 
in  charge   of  the  churches   and   circuits   where    this 
movement  first  to>>k  root,  strove  hard  to  drown  it  out 
and  prevent  its  spread.     And  in  doing  so,  did  many 
things  which  seemed  at  the  time  to  be  harsh,  but  of 
this  I  do  not  complain,  nor  does  the  Congregational 
Methodist  Church  ;  they  were  good  men  and  doubt- 
less were  honestly  of  the   opinion   that   this   move- 
ment wou'd  eventuate  in  much  evil  and  little  good. 
But  time  has  demonstrated   that   these  opinions   of 
theirs  were  incorrect.     Those  men  could  never  have 
been  of  much  service  to  a  Church,  whose  polity  was 
so  entirely  at  variance  with  their  views  of  right  and 
propriety    as    that     of    "The  Methodist    Episcopal 
Church,  South,"  but  in  a  Church  whose  polity  they 
believed  in — and  whose  government  they  devotedly 
loved,    they  have   accomplished    great   good.     This 
was  a  very  small  meeting,  scarcely  as  many  persons 
in  it  as  were  on  the  little  fishing-boat  with  Peter,  on 
the  night  of  "fruitless  toil,"  yet  this  was  a  meeting 
destined    to    exercise    a   powerful   influence   on   the 
world  of  Methodism.     And  those  humble,  good  men 
had  perhaps  as  little  idea  of  the  stupendous  results 
to  follow   their  humble   action   on   that   quiet    May 
day,  as  Peter  had  of  the  effect  to  follow  his  sermon 
when  he  began  to  preach  on  the  day  of    Pentecost. 


24  Origin  and  Early  History 

Of  these  men  I  shall  write  more  at  length  when  I 
shall  have  closed  these  historical  sketches  of  the 
early  days  of  our  Church,  but  of  the  results  which 
have  thus  far  been  realized  from  this  meeting  I  shall 
say  something,  and  with  that  close  this  number. 

From  the  day  when  Rev.    Francis  Asbury,  called 
himself  or  allowed  others  to  call  him  a  "  Bishop,"  to 
the  8th  day  of  May,    1852,  the   government   of  the 
Methodist    Church    in   its   various  branches,    except 
that  of  the    "  Methodist  Protestant,"    had   been  en- 
tirely in  the  hands  of  the  itineracy,  and  the  authority 
of  the   Episcopacy  growing   stronger  and  stronger. 
In  no  Conference  was  a   layman   entitled   to  a  seat, 
save  the  quarterly  Conference,  and  in  these  only  such 
laymen  took  part  as  the  itineracy  chose  to  have  there, 
and  who  could  be  put  in,  and  put  out,  of  said  Con- 
ference with  the  care  of  uttering  a  single  command, 
and    the    placing    them    in    such   positions    did   not 
amount  to  as  much  as  the  tantalization  of  a  sailor  in 
throwing  a  tub  to  a  whale,  for  when  a  whale  was  once 
in  possession  of  the  tub,  although  he   could  accom- 
plish   nothing   by    its   possession   or   use   outside  of 
amusing  himself,  still  he  could  keep  it  as  long  as  he 
chose,   but  these  laymen    could    only  play  with  the 
tub  until  it  was  taken    from   them,   or  rather,    until 
they  were  taken  from  it.     The   great  movement   re- 
sulting in  the  formation  of  the  Methodist  Protestant 
Church    nearly    twenty-five    years    before,    had    not 
changed  this  feature   of  either  branch  of  the  parent 
Church.      Hut    how     stands    the    case    to-day?     No 
where  in  all  this  land,  either  North  or  South,  does  a 
Methodist    Conference   assemble    now    without    the 


ilW^ 


& 


-:•:         #  ' 


Jas.  Mf  Fleming, 


Congregational  Methodist  Church.  25 

laymen  being  there  !  And  these  thousands  of  lay- 
men who  hold  seats  in  "the  General  and  inferior 
Conferences  (most  of  them  being  ignorant  that  such 
a  meeting  was  ever  held),  are  indebted  to  the  actors 
of  May  8th,  1852,  for  the  privileges  they  thus  enjoy. 
Where  is  the  week-day  system  of  serving  country 
churches  in  operation  prior  to  that  time?  Why  are 
nearly  all  supplied  with  Sabbath  preaching?  The 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  country  Methodists  all  over 
this  country  who  now  have  preaching  on  the  Holy 
Sabbath  instead  of  on  a  working-day,  are  indebted 
for  these  blessings  to  the  good  men  who  so  manfully 
struck  for  this  privilege  amid  the  opening  flowers  of 
May,  1852.  Why  so  many  hundreds  of  good  local 
preachers  now  exercising  all  their  functions  as  pas- 
tors of  churches  to-day?  Whence  came  these  privi- 
leges to  local  ministers  and  blessings  to  the  people? 
The  answer  is  they  came  from  the  "  quiet  chamber" 
at  brother  Merritt's  house,  where  these  good  men 
united  their  feelings,  their  prayers  and  theirs  tears,  a 
little  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago. 

And  what  more  shall  I  say  of  the  gracious  results 
which  have  grown  out  of  this  "  day  of  small  things.' 
For  the  time  would  fail  me  to  tell  of  the  many 
thousands,  who  have  thus  been  privileged  to  attend 
the  Methodist  services  on  Sabbath,  of  the  tens  of 
thousands  of  faithful  local  ministers  whose  hearts 
before  that  burned  within  them  as  Jesus  talked  to 
them,  "  by  the  way,"  as  they  looked  for  an  open  door 
'where  they  might  feed  the  flock  of  God,  and  have 
thus  been  given  a  door  of  utterance,  and  of  the 
great  host  of  sinners,    to   whom   they  have  success- 


26  Origin  and  Early  History 

fully  pointed  out  the  Lamb  of  God  which  taketh 
away  the  sins  of  the  world.  Faithful  and  highly 
favored  little  band ! !  standing  in  the  fore-front  of 
the  battle  listening  only  to  the  voice  of  their  Captain, 
and  responding  to  the  roll  call,  "here  am  I."  And 
down  in  their  hearts,  so  full  of  anxiety  and  yet  so 
full  of  peace,  a  still  small  voice  was  heard  saying, 
"  fear  not  little  flock  for  it  is  your  Father's  good 
pleasure  to  give  you  the  kingdom." 


Congregational  Methodist  Church.  27 


CHAPTER  V. 

I  have  dwelt  at  some  length  on  the  history  of  the 
first  meeting  held  in  the  interest  of  the  Congrega- 
tional-Methodist Church,  because  I  regard  it  as  an 
important  meeting;  and  although  the  principal  part 
of  the  two  preceding  chapters  has  been  devoted  to 
its  history,  I  do  not  feel  that  I  should  dismiss  this 
part  of  my  subject  without  noticing  one  other  char- 
acteristic thereof. 

From  the  time  of  Wesley's  administration  in 
America,  there  had  been,  prior  to  the  8th  of  May, 
1852,  one  hundred  meetings  in  different  parts  of  the 
United  States,  similar  in  many  respects  to  the  one  I 
have  been  writing  of  as  occurring  on  that  day,  and 
nearly  all  of  them  have  been  confined  almost  entirely 
to  the  communities  respectively  where  they  occurred 
and  have  passed  away  with  those  who  took  part  in 
them,  and  there  are  to-day  a  large  number  of  indepen- 
dent Methodist  churches  in  the  Southern  States  who 
have  no  connection  with  each  other  or  with  any 
other  church.  The  Church  which  was  formed  at 
brother  Merritt's  had  a  connexional  as  well  as  a  con- 
gregational and  republican  element  in  its  form  of 
government,  and  to  this  cause  may  be  ascribed  the 
popularity  and  spread  of  the  Church  which  had  its 
birth  in  Monroe  county,  Georgia,  on  the  8th  of  May, 
1852. 

There  is  one  feature  of  the  subsequent  history  of 
the  C.  M.  Church  which  I  desire  here  to  notice. 
Within  a  short  time  from  the  organization  of  the  first 


28  Origin  and  Early  History 

church  the  movement  had  spread  over  several  coun- 
ties in  Middle  Georgia,  and  found  foothold  in  the 
States  of  Alabama  and  Mississippi,  and  has,  from  that 
day  until  this,  been  prospering  in  all  three  of  said 
States,  and  has  now  State  Conferences  in  six  States, 
and  organizations  in  several  others  with  many  thou- 
sands of  members  ;  still,  in  the  county  where  it  had  its 
origin  and  has  lived  and  flourished  for  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  there  are  many  persons  ignorant 
of  the  existence  of  such  a  Church  and  more  ignorant 
of  its  characteristics  and  doctrines.  Those  who  de- 
sired to  impede  its  progress  soon  ascertained  that 
the  best  way  to  prevent  its  spread  was  to  say  notJiing 
about  it.  Hence  their  papers  (whether  under  the  in- 
fluence of  the  gag-law  or  not  I  cannot  say)  have  re- 
fused to  publish  anything  about  it.  Its  ministers  as 
a  general  rule  receive  such  notice  and  courtesy  as  the 
rules  of  good  breeding  absolutely  require  at  the 
hands  of  their  ministers  and  nothing  more.  I  do  not 
complain  at  this  as  unkindness  or  persecution,  for  one 
who  attempts  reform  in  an  existing  Church  organiza- 
tion of  an  important  character  and  does  not  expect 
to  meet  persecution,  calculates  improperly  and  is 
doomed  to  disappointment.  It  has  ever  been  so,  and 
ever  will  be  so.  But  in  dismissing  this  part  of  the 
subject  I  feel  impelled  to  say  simply  this  :  The  or- 
gans of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South,  by  their  conduct  ig- 
nore and  appear  to  be  ignorant  of  the  existence  of 
the  C.  M.  Church,  although  their  Discipline  has 
many  features  in  it  which  were  taken  from  that  of 
the  C.  M.  Church.  If  we  shall  be  true  to  ourselves, 
true  to  our  Church  paper,  true  to  our  principles  as 


(  ongregational  Methodist  Church.  29 

Christians,  and  true  to  the  Great  Head  of  the  Church, 
the  time  will  soon  come  when  the  existence  of  the 
Congregational  Methodist  Church  will  no  longer  be 
ignored. 


30  Origin  and  Early  History 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Having  dwelt  at  length  on  the  first  meeting 
of  the  friends  of  Congregational  Methodism,  for 
the  reasons  already  stated,  I  come  now  to  speak 
of  the  second  meeting.  This  meeting  was  held  at 
Rehoboth  church  about  the  third  Sunday  in  May, 
1852.  Between  the  time  of  they?;\sYand  second  meet- 
ings the  feeling  had  spread  over  a  considerable  sec- 
tion of  Middle  Georgia,  and  quite  a  number  of  min- 
isters and  members  from  the  M.  E.  Church,  South, 
came  forward  and  united  with  the  organization. 
Among  the  former  I  can  mention,  Rev.  J.  F.  N. 
Huddleston  and  Rev.  J.  Fletcher  Wethersbee,  and 
among  the  latter  I  should  name  John  Ham,  John  H. 
Phinazee,  David  Ogletree,  John  E.  Petigrew,  Ed- 
ward White,  and  others. 

Quite  a  number  of  those  who  had  allied  them- 
selves with  the  new  movement  were  members  of  the 
M.  E.  Church,  South,  at  Rehoboth;  indeed  nearly 
the  whole  of  the  membership  at  that  place  went  with 
the  C.  M.  Church,  and  this  was  probably  the  reason 
why  they  felt  like  they  had  the  liberty  to  use  the 
church-house  at  Rehoboth  to  meet  in.  But  they 
were  not  permitted  to  occupy  the  house — the  same, 
under  the  economy  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  having  been 
deeded  to  the  Georgia  Annual  Conference,  and  its 
officers  not  being  willing  for  "the  seceders,"  as  they 
were  called,  to  use  it. 

By  way  of  parenthesis  I  will  here  say:  This  refer- 


Congregational  Methodist  Church.  31 

ence  to  the  persecution  which  the  pioneers  of  Congre- 
gational Methodism  met  with,  is  not  lugged  in  here 
to  excite  any  sympathy  for  the  C.  M.  Church,  nor  to 
cast  reflections  on  the  M.  E.  Church,  South,  but  it  is 
done  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  the  historian, 
who,  if  he  does  his  duty  to  posterity  (for  whose  ben- 
efit he  principally  writes),  states  transactions  just  as 
they  occured,  leaving  the  reader  to  draw  his  own 
conclusions. 

Not  being  permitted  to  hold  their  meetings  in  the 
church-house  they  withdrew  to  the  arbor  of  the 
camp-ground  near  by,  and  there  held  their  meeting. 
The  business  of  this  meeting  consisted  principally  (so 
far  as  its  secular  affairs  were  concerned)  in  the  appoint- 
ment of  a  committee  of  three  to  prepare  a  book  of 
Discipline,  with  rules  and  regulations  for  the  govern- 
ment of  the  Church.  That  committee  consisted  of 
Revs.  H.  Phinizee,  A.  Ogletree,  and  J.  F.  N.  Hud- 
dleston.  And  here  again  "  these  good  men  and 
true"  committed  themselves  and  commended  the 
cause  of  the  infant  Church  in  prayer  to  the  Great 
Head  of  the  Church,  with  abiding  confidence  in  the 
propriety  of  the  step  they  had  taken,  and  in  grate- 
ful remembrance  of  the  partial  success  which  had  at- 
tended them  thus  far  in  their  unabated  zeal  in  devo- 
tion to  duty,  and  humble  reliance  on  Divine  assis- 
tance and  guidance  in  the  future,  they  parted  with  "the 
benediction"  of  peace.  Rev.  Allen  Turner,  a  good  old 
man  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South,  who  was  present 
to  forbid  the  use  by  the  new  organization  of  the 
church-house,  was  requested  to  pray  in  the  meeting. 
He  led  in  prayer,  asking  fervently  that  if  the  move 


32  Origin  and  Early  History 

was  not  of  God  it  might  come  to  naught  ;  but  if  it 
was  of  God  that  it  might  prosper,  and  all  the  brethren 
said  "  amen,"  and  the  prayer  has  been  heard  and  an- 
swered. 


Wm.  H.  Graham. 


Congregational  Methodist  Church.  33 


CHAPTER  VII. 

The  meeting  at  Rehoboth  church,  as  before  stated, 
appointed  a  committee  to  prepare  a  book  of  Discip- 
line, and  report  to  the  next  meeting.  When  and 
where  this  third  meeting  was  held,  I  have  been  un- 
able to  ascertain,  and  I  regret  my  inability  to  now 
state,  what  would  be  of  great  interest,  and  which 
perhaps  may  never  be  known  hereafter.  It  is,  how- 
ever, pretty  certain  that  it  was  not  long  after  the 
second  meeting,  as  the  book  of  Discipline  was  pub- 
lished and  given  to  the  world  early  in  the  month  of 
August,  1852.  The  character  of  the  book,  as  reported 
by  the  committee  and  adopted  by  the  Church,  I 
shall  now  notice,  only  so  far  as  to  refer  to  the  pre- 
face, as  embodying  some  of  the  leading  features  of 
the  Church. 

The  Rev.  H.  Phinazee,  of  the  committee  above 
stated,  was  the  author  of  the  above  preface.  The 
book  was  a  small  pamphlet  of  48  pages,  published 
by  A.  G.  Murray,  Griffin,  Ga.,  and  in  order  that  the 
reader  may  fully  understand  the  same,  I  here  insert 
that  preface  just  as  it  there  occurred  : 

"  In  appearing  before  the  public,  we  deem  it  due  to  ourselves, 
our  old  brethren,  and  the  world,  to  set  forth  in  a  distinct  man- 
ner some  of  the  reasons  that  led  to  our  separation.  We  were 
not  influenced  by  prejudice  or  ill-will  towards  one  minister  or 
member  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  but  we  love  them  yet  as  brethren, 
and  look  upon  them,  in  the  main,  as  good  and  holy  men. 

"  1.  We  think  that  the  itinerant  system,  as  carried  out  in  this 
country,  has  mainly  lost  it  efficiency,  and  failed  to  meet  alike 
the  wants  and  wishes  of  the  Church  and  world.  This,  we  think, 
3 


34  Origin  and  Early  History 

is  owing  to  the  policy  of  week-day  preaching,  which  gives  to 
all  other  churches  that  are  congregational  in  their  form  of  wor- 
ship greatly  the  advantage  of  us.  It  also  requires  us  to  pay 
large  sums  to  have  the  Gospel  preached  to  the  walls  and  benches 
in  our  churches.  We  think  these  evils  have  been  augmenting 
every  year,  that  the  friction  of  the  machinery  is  increasing,  and 
that  the  good  accomplished  by  it  is  not  and  will  not  be  in  pro- 
portion to  the  sacrifices  required.  Therefore,  we  believe  that 
the  day  is  here,  when  the  tabernacle  should  be  located — circum- 
stances justify  it— the  people  demand  it. 

"2.  We  object  to  the  government  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  be- 
cause it  possesses  not  the  elements  of  a  republican  form  of  gov- 
ernment. It  discards  the  representative  principle,  shuts  out  the 
people,  and  confides  to  the  same  hands  the  executive,  legislative 
and  judicial  powers;  and  yet  those  hands  are  not  the  represen- 
tatives of  the  people. 

"  3.  We  objected  to  said  government  because  we  were  taxed 
without  representation,  legislated  for  without  a  constituency, 
and  large  amounts  of  money  .and  Church  property  are  controlled 
by  the  traveling  preachers  alone ;  and  they,  in  this  matter,  are 
beyond  the  control  of  the  membership.  A  government  so  un- 
congenial with,  and  contrary  to,  the  spirit  and  genius  of  our 
civil  institutions,  we  think  to  be  wrong  in  theory  and  practice. 
No  power  possesses  so  great  a  principle  of  increase  and  accumu- 
lation as  an  ecclesiastical  power.  Its  facilities  for  multiplica- 
tion and  reproduction  are  many  and  fearful.  They  should, 
therefore,  be  vigilantly  guarded  against  by  all/who  consider  the 
image  of  God  closely  connected  with  the  rights  of  man." 

With  this  declaration  of  the  foundation  of  their 
action,  the  Congregational  Methodist  Church  took 
its  place  among  the  ecclesiastical  organizations  of 
the  country,  trusting  to  the  correctness  of  its  princi- 
ples and  the  purity  of  its  motives  for  that  success 
which  was  afterwards  to  attend  it. 

Thus  we  have  presented  the  history  of  the  com- 
pletion of  the  organization  of  the  first  individual 
Church,  the  nucleus  around  which   all  in  the  future 


Congregational  MetJiodist  Church.  35 

were  to  gather.  Less  than  tliree  months  had  been 
consumed  in  perfecting  this  machinery,  and  the  en- 
during character  of  the  work  thus  done,  declares 
most  emphatically  that  it  was  well  done,  as  the  lead- 
ing features  of  the  original  Discipline  are  preserved 
to  the  present  time  by  the  C.  M.  Church,  and  many 
of  its  peculiar  features  have  been  adopted  by  other 
populous  members  of  the  great  Methodist  family. 

The  body  of  the  Discipline  was  written  by  Rev. 
J.  F.  N.  Huddleston,  and  when  reported  by  him  to 
his  two  fellow-committeemen,  was  adopted  by  them 
with  very  slight  alteration,  if  any  at  all,  and  was 
adopted  by  the  Church  as  it  came  from  the  Com- 
mittee. 


36  Origin  and  Early  History 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  first  Congregational  Methodist  Church  consti- 
tuted was  called  Rocky  Creek,  its  membership  princi- 
pally were  formerly  members  of  Rehoboth,  the  name 
of  this  church  was  afterwards  changed,  as  we  shall 
see  hereafter.  Between  the  8th  of  May  and  the  1st 
of  August,  other  organizations  had  been  effected. 
Mount  Hope,  in  Spalding  county,  Rock  Spring,  in 
Monroe  county,  Pleasant  Grove,  in  Butts  county, 
New  Market,  in  Monroe  county,  New  Hope,  in  Pike 
county,  and  Providence,  in  Monroe  county,  making, 
in  all,  seven  churches,  and  all  in  the  same  section  of 
country. 

As  the  Discipline  provided  for  District  Confer- 
ences, these  seven  churches,  on  the  1 2th  day  of  August, 
1852,  by  their  delegates,  held  their  first  District  Con- 
ference, at  Rocky  Creek  Baptist  church — that  church 
kindly  tendering  to  said  body  the  use  of  their  church- 
house.  Upon  the  assembling  of  the  Conference,  the 
following  named  delegates,  with  proper  credentials, 
came  forward  and  had  their  names  enrolled,  viz  : 

From  Rocky  Creek  church,  A.  Ogletree,  J.  F.  N. 
Huddleston,  and  H.  Phinazee  from  Mount  Hope 
church,  Robert  Walker  and  Joshua  Sheptrine,  from 
Rock  Spring  church,  Allen  Reeves  from  Pleasant 
Grove  church,  George  W.  Barber  and  William  A. 
McCune,  from  New  Market  church,  J.  F.  Wethersby 
and  Benjamin  Davis,  from  Providence  church  Wil- 
liam H.  Graham,  from  New  Hope  church  Daniel 
Carroll.      Rev.   J.  F.   Wethersby  was   elected    Presi- 


Congregational  Method  is  t  Church.  37 

dent,  and  Rev.  H.  Phinazee,  Secretary.  The  Pres- 
ident opened  the  Conference  with  prayer.  At  the 
organization  of  the  first  church  at  brother  Merritt's 
house,  we  have  seen  the  little  company  gathered? 
bowing  reverently  before  their  Great  Head,  and  heard 
the  voice  of  ascending  prayer  for  Divine  protection, 
and  now  when  we  behold  the  first  District  Conference 
we  see  them  bending  the  knee  to  God  and  begging 
for  Heaven's  direction,  their  hearts  in  unison  respond- 
ing in  the  language  of  Scripture,  "Without  me  ye 
can  do  nothing." 

This  was  the  first  District  Conference  ever  held  by 
any  Methodist  body,  and  therefore  a  center  of  curi- 
osity. So  far  as  history  shows,  this  was  the  first 
Conference  ever  held  by  any  Methodist  body,  except 
Quarterly  Conference,  which  was  composed  more 
largely  of  laymen  than  of  ministers,  and  the  first 
body  of  Methodists,  which  was  purely  a  representa- 
tive body,  and  whose  members  all  held  their  seats 
only  by  the  choice  of  their  brethren.  This  Confer- 
ence was  therefore  clearly  an  experiment  ;  but  the 
developments  have  shown  that  it  was  a  success.  The 
thousands  of  District  Conferences  and  District  Meet- 
ings which  have  been  since  held  among  Methodists 
of  this  country  declares  that  a  District  Conference 
is  a  success.  The  President  of  the  Conference  had 
once  been  an  itinerant  of  note,  and  had  frequently 
been  a  member  of  Conferences,  and  in  case  of  Quar- 
terly Conferences,  some  times  its  presiding  officer,  I 
suppose  ;  but  there  were  two  new  features  to  him, 
even  in  this  assembly.  1.  He  was  there  on  a  perfect 
equality  with  every  other  member  (except  what  priv- 


58  Origin  and  Early  History 

ileges  were  conferred  on  him  by  his  election  to  the 
Presidency),  and  2.  He  was  there  by  the  election  of 
his  brethren.  Hitherto  he  had  held  seats  in  Confer- 
ences, where  some  of  the  members  were  on  a  shelf 
above  him,  some  on  the  same  shelf  with  him,  and  some 
on  the  shelf  below  him,  but  here  all  the  members  were 
on  the  same  platform.  .Before  that  time  he  had  held 
his  seats  in  Conferences  because  he  was  an  itinerant, 
here  he  held  his  seat  because  he  was  the  choice  of 
his  brethren. 

None  of  the  other  members  of  this  Conference 
had  ever  been  members  of  any  Conference  before, 
save  Quarterly  Conferences,  and  when  we  consider 
that  a  majority  of  them  were  laymen  we  will  very 
naturally  suppose  they  felt  a  little  awkward,  having 
belonged,  some  of  them,  for  many  years  where  they 
had  no  right  guaranteed  by  their  Discipline  of  voting, 
much  less  of  holding  office,  save  as  put  in  office  by 
the  preacher  in  charge,  and  not  even  owning  any 
interest  in  the  houses  in  which  they  worshipped. 
Hut  inexperienced  as  they  were,  the  duty  was  upon 
them  of  putting  in  operation  the  new  machinery  of  a 
new  organization,  and  well  and  faithfully  did  they 
nt  themselves. 

1  >ne  of  the  first  things  done  by  the  Conference  after 
inization  was  to  recognize  the  license  of  brother 
Carey  Cox,  a  licentiate  from  the  M.  E.  Church, 
South,  and  to  pass  a  resolution  that  all  ministers  com- 
ing from  other  orthodox  denominations  be  received 
ueli  in  our  Church,  upon  presentation  of  their 
credentials  in  proper  form.  The  Conference  then 
license  to    brother    John    Ham, 


Congregational  Methodist  Church,  39 

Daniel  Carroll  and  Travis  Ivey,  they  all  having  been 
duly  recommended  for  such  license  by  the  churches 
to  which  they  respectively  belonged. 

The  Conference  being  impressed  with  the  belief 
that  a  Church  paper  was  essential  to  its  prosperity, 
lost  no  time  in  looking  to  this  important  interest,  and 
after  discussing  the  matter  at  length,  in  which  a  free 
interchange  of  opinions  were  had  among  all  the  dele- 
gates, the  Chair,  upon  motion,  appointed  a  Com- 
mittee of  five  "to  take  into  consideration  the  subject 
of  establishing  a  press,  and  report  to  the  Church  as 
early  as  practicable,  for  their  ratification."  That 
Committee  consisted  of  brother  J.  F.  N.  Huddleston, 
W.  L.  Frambrough,  Mickleberry  Merritt,  Absalom 
Ogletree  and  John  Ham. 

And  here  I  may  remark  (by  way  of  parenthesis) 
that  this  subject  has  ever  been  before  us  as  a  Church, 
but  at  no  time  in  our  history  have  we  been  suf- 
ficiently alive  to  its  importance,  and  have  too  often 
contented  ourselves  with  the  passage  of  resolutions, 
or  the  "appointment  of  a  committee,"  as  to  what 
the  Church,  in  its  then  novel  and  untried  condition, 
needed.  I  am  not  in  any  wise  competent  to  say, 
but,  now  we  need  something  more  tangible,  more 
real,  more  substantial  than  resolutions  or  committees 
of  investigation,  we  need  money,  subscribers,  con- 
tributors for  the  paper.  My  dear  brethren,  pardon 
me  for  exhorting  you  throughout  our  connection  to 
wake  up,  work  for  our  paper  among  the  people,  write 
for  the  paper,  encourage  our  worthy  editor,  and  don't 
leave  him  neglected  to  do  so  much  work  for  us,  but 
lend  him  a  helping  hand. 


40  Origin  and  Early   History. 

The  Conference,  before  adjourning,  adopted  the 
following  resolution,  then  found  at  the  close  of  the 
book  of  Discipline: 

'•Resolved,  unanimously, .That  in  view  of  the  great 
importance  of  this  work  of  reformation,  upon  which 
we  have  voluntarily  entered,  the  hasty  manner  in 
which  it  has  been  thus  far  prosecuted,  and  the  imper- 
fections which  may  consequently  be  found  in  it,  we 
reserve  to  ourselves  the  right  and  will  do  ourselves 
and  the  cause  we  advocate  the  justice  to  call  a  con- 
vention of  delegates  from  all  the  churches  in  our 
connection  ;  and  that  said  Convention  shall  appoint 
a  committe,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  revise  this 
work  throughout  critically,  after  which  it  shall  be  put 
up  permanently.  Said  Convention  will  be  called  as 
soon  as  practicable." 

The  Conference  appointed  next  District  Confer- 
ence to  be  held  at  Mt.  Hope  church,  Spalding 
county,  Georgia. 

This  session  of  the  Conference  lasted  three  days, 
and  wras  a  remarkably  quiet  and  harmonious  session. 
It  did  much  work  and  did  it  well,  setting  a  worthy 
example  to  the  many  similar  Conferences  to  come 
after  it. 


John  Goodrum. 


Congregational  Methodist  Church.  41 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Having  in  the  last  chapter  related  the  history  of 
the  first  District  Conference,  I  propose  here  to  follow 
up  the  history  of  the  District  Conference  at  its  vari- 
ous sessions  up  to  the  formation  of  different  District 
Conferences  and  a  State  Conference  in  Georgia. 
The  idea  of  what  the  term  "  District  "  signified  seems 
at  first  to  have  been  construed  as  indicating  a  Con- 
gressional District  ;  accordingly,  the  heading  of  the 
minutes  of  the  first  and  second  District  Conference 
designates  the  body  as  "  the  District  Conference  of 
the  Congregational  Methodist  Church  for  the  Third 
District  of  Georgia."  After  the  third  session,  it  was 
no  longer  designated  as  of  "the Third  Congressional 
District,"  but  simply  as  "  the  District  Conference  of 
the  Congregational  Methodist  Church,"  and  they 
were  certainly  entitled  to  be  called  the  District  Con- 
ference, as  there  was  at  that  time  no  other  organized 
District  Conference  in  the  known  world.  All  the 
churches  organized  in  Georgia,  and  even  some  in 
Alabama,  were  connected  with  this  District  Confer- 
ence. 

The  second  session  of  this  body  was  held  at  Mount 
Hope  church,  Spalding  county,  about  four  and  one- 
half  miles  east  of  the  city  of  Griffin,  on  the  nth  day 
of  December,  1852.  A  temporary  organization  was 
effected  by  calling  Rev.  J.  F.  N.  Huddleston  to  the 
chair,  and  upon  examination  it  was  found  that  the 
following  delegates  were  present,  with  proper  cre- 
dentials to  take  their  seats  in  the  Conference,  viz: 


42  Origin  and  Early  History 

From  Rocky  Creek— J.  F.  N.  Huddleston,  W.  L. 
Fambro,  M.  Merritt  and  H.  Phinazee  ;  Rock  Spring — 
A.  H.  Reeves,  Theo.  Williams  and  C.  G.  Harper  ; 
Providence — W.  F.  Mapp  ;  New  Hope — Daniel  Car- 
roll ;  .Mount  Hope  —  S.  F.  Speer  and  Thomas 
Thrower.  An  election  being  held  for  permanent 
officers,  resulted  in  the  election  of  William  L.  Fam- 
bro as  President,  and  Rev.  Hiram  Phinazee  as  Sec- 
retary. 

Brother  Fambro,  although  a  layman,  had  been 
called  to  preside  over  the  first  meeting  of  the  denom- 
ination at  brother  Merritt's  house,  as  before  stated, 
and  was  now  called  on  to  preside  over  the  District 
Conference,  composed,  in  a  large  proportion,  of  min- 
isters and  the  best  talent  in  the  young  Church,  and 
such  was  the  ability  and  zeal  which  he  brought  to 
the  discharge  of  his  duty  as  a  presiding  officer,  that 
he  was  not  only  elected  to  preside  over  District 
Conferences  thereafter,  but  was  the  presiding  officer 
of  the  first  State  Conference  ever  organized,  and 
subsequently  presided  with  ability  over  the  General 
Conference  of  the  C.  M.  Church.  I  shall  have  more 
to  say  about  this  good  man  hereafter,  when  I  shall 
have  finished  these  historical  sketches,  and  come  to 
present  some  pen  portraits  of  the  founders  of  Con- 
ditional Methodism. 

Four  new  churches  sent  delegates  to  this  Confer- 
ence, who  were  received  and  seated,  viz:  From  New 
Prospect,  in  Monroe  county — Carey  Cox  and  P.  D. 
Pringle  ;  .Mount  /ion,  Carroll  county — J.C.  Pearson; 
Antioch  and  Mount  Pisgah,  in  Alabama — James  M. 
Adams.      In  addition  to  the  duly  elected  delegates, 


Congregational  Methodist  Church.  43 

as  before  stated,  there  were  a  large  number  of  visit- 
ing brethren,  who  were  duly  invited  to  seats  as 
honorary  members  of  the  body.  Also,  William 
Griffin,  John  Bass  and  Isaiah  Wallis,  fraternal  mes- 
sengers of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church,  and 
Rev.  Mr.  Reddingham,  from  the  Lutheran  Church. 
Two-thirds  of  the  members  of  this  Conference  were 
laymen,  showing  a  larger  proportion  of  the  lay  ele- 
ment  than  the   Conference  which  had   preceded  it. 

I  suppose  if  some  of  the  advocates  of  the  theory  of 
the  ministry  governing  by  divine  right,  or  some  of 
the  opposers  of  lay  representation,  could  have  beheld 
this  Conference  entering  on  their  duties,  they  would 
probably  have  adopted  the  language  which  a  colored 
preacher  once  said  Adam  used  when  he  awoke  up 
out  of  his  deep  sleep,  and  "  put  on  his  specks  and 
looked  at  Eve,"  "This  is  a  bad  job." 

Nathaniel  was  a  good  man,  yet  when  approached 
by  one  of  his  friends  who  informed  him  that  the 
promised  Messiah  had  been  found  and  he  hailed 
from  Nazareth,  asked  with  much  of  honest   doubt, 

II  Can  any  good  thing  come  out  of  Nazareth  ?"  So 
in  like  manner  those  who  had  been  educated  to  be- 
lieve that  the  governing  power  of  right  rested  in  the 
hands  of  the  ministry,  and  that  the  laity  had  neither 
the  right  nor  the  capacity  to  share  in  the  government 
of  the  Church,  had  serious  misgivings  of  the  success 
of  a  government  where  the  laity  had  the  balance  of 
power.  But  their  doubts  were  as  unfounded  as  were 
those  of  Nathaniel.  And  although  there  were  not  a 
few  who  looked  on  at  the  part  the  little  new  Church 
was  taking  in  the  battle   of  the  ecclesiastical  world 


44  Origin  and  Early  History 

against  the  power  of  darkness,  and  predicted  its 
early  downfall  and  signal  failure,  the  long  and  event- 
ful years  which  have  since  intervened — eventful  as 
they  have  been — have  left  us  a  record  of  the  labors 
of  these  laymen  in  Conference,  which  demonstrates 
that  the  confidence  of  their  brethren  was  not  mis- 
placed when  they  chose  these  laymen  to  represent 
them  in  Conference. 

The  time  had  now  come  when  the  world  was  to 
have  a  demonstration  of  the  fact  that  the  masses  of 
Methodists  were  as  capable  of  transacting  the  busi- 
ness of  their  Church  as  the  masses  of  other  denomi- 
nations, and  the  idea  that  nothing  could  be  done 
except  by  the  ministry  was  now  to  be  exploded,  and 
the  great  truth  was  to  be  discovered  by  both  preach- 
ers and  people,  that  the  function  of  the  minister 
would  in  chief  be  exercised  in  the  pulpit,  while  the 
layman  was  to  labor  in  the  peiv  and  in  the  govern- 
ment of  the  Church.     Christ  was  to  be   the  Head 

♦ 

and  both  the  laity  and  the  clergy  were  to  be  co- 
workers, each  in  his  proper  sphere,  doing  the  allotted 
work,  showing  that  one  was  not  to  exist  without  the 
other,  and  that  neither  was  independent  of  the 
other,  nor  exalted  above  the  other,  but  formed  sepa- 
rate parts  in  the  grand  and  glorious  whole,  wherein 
all  things  work  together  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
good  <>f  1  lis  people. 

The  Conference  was  entertained  by  fraternal  greet- 
in  gs  between  the  representatives  of  the  other  sister 
churches  and  those  of  the  C.  M.  Church,  and  the 
best  and  kindest  of  feeling  prevailed.  Theo.  Williams 
having   been   properly   recommended    for  license  to 


Congregational  Methodist  Church.  45 

exhort,  was  duly  licensed  as  an  exhorter  by  the  Con- 
ference. 

J.  C.  Pearson,  James  M.  Adams,  J.  F.  N.  Huddles- 
ton,  Robert  Walker  and  W.  A.  McCune  were  ap- 
pointed fraternal  messengers  to  the  next  Conference 
of  the  Lutheran  Church  in  Georgia.  The  next 
meeting  of  the  Conference  was  appointed  with  the 
church  at  Rock  Spring,  Monroe  county,  beginning 
on  Friday  before  the  third  Sabbath  in  May,  1853. 

And  thus  ended  the  second  session  of  the  District 
Conference.  Seven  months  and  three  days  had 
passed  from  the  meeting  at  brother  Merritts  to  the 
meeting  of  this  Conference,  and  eventful  months  and 
days  they  had  been — months  of  watching,  weeping, 
praying  and  hoping  on  the  part  of  the  movers  in  this 
"  departure  ;"  months  of  persecution,  bitterness  and 
distrust  on  the  part  of  its  enemies,  and  months  of 
anxious  curiosity  and  speculation  on  the  part  of  the 
outside  world.  But  the  fathers  of  Congregational 
Methodism  took  their  cause  "  to  the  Lord  in  prayer," 
and  prosperity  and  advancement  attended  them,  and 
now  the  fire  had  spread  until  eleven  churches  came 
from  different  sections  of  Georgia,  and  even  from 
Alabama,  and  stood  by  the  side  of  the  twelve  indi- 
viduals who  joined  hands  at  brother  Merritt's,  say- 
ing, "  Your  God  shall  be  my  God  ;  where  you  dwell, 
there  will  we  dwell ;  where  you  die,  there  will  we 
die,  and  there  will  we  be  buried." 


46  Origin  and  Early  History 


CHAPTER  X. 

I  come  now  to  speak  of  the  organization  of  the 
first  Congregational  Methodist  Church  in  the  State 
of  Mississippi.  In  the  fall  of  the  year  1852,  there 
lived  in  Richmond  county,  Georgia,  a  local  elder 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  by  the 
name  of  Henry  T.  Jones.  During  the  fall  of  that 
year  this  minister  was  attending  a  camp-meeting  at 
a  camp-ground  in  the  county  of  Jefferson,  called 
"  Mt.  Moriah."  This  camp-ground  was  within  the 
bounds  of  one  of  the  districts  of  the  Georgia  Annual 
Conference,  of  which  Rev.  John  W.  Glenn  was  the 
Presiding  Elder,  who  was  present  at  the  camp-meet- 
ing. One  day  during  the  meeting  Rev.  H.  T.  Jones 
had  preached,  and  after  preaching  retired  to  the 
preachers'  tent  <and  was  lying  down  resting,  when 
the  Presiding  Elder  and  a  minister  by  the  name  of 
Dunn,  entered  the  tent,  sat  down  near  where  Mr. 
Jones  was  lying  and  began  conversing  on  the  subject 
of  general  Church  matters.  During  the  conversation 
the  Presiding  Elder  said  to  Rev.  Mr.  Dunn  that 
"brother  Ogletree  and  a  number  of  others  had  with- 
drawn from  the  Church  and  gone  into  a  separate 
organization."  This  much  of  the  conversation  Rev. 
Mr.  Jones  accidentally  heard,  the  tone  and  manner 
of  the  conversation  indicated  to  him  that  it  was  in- 
tended to  be  private  or  confidential,  and  he  did  not 
seek  to  hear  more  of  it. 

Rev.  Mr.  Jones  had  never  been  fully  satisfied  with 
the  government  of  the  Church  to  which  he  belonged  ; 


Congregational  MctJwdist   Church.  47 

but  it.  came  nearer  to  his  standard  of  a  Church — 
all  things  considered — than  any  Church  of  which  he 
knew  anything.  Being  a  believer  in  the  doctrine 
of  an  unlimited  atonement  and  free  salvation  to  all 
who  would  accept  the  terms  of  the  gospel,  the 
Calvinistic  creeds  of  the  Baptist  and  Presbyterian 
Churches  forbade  his  identifying  himself  with  them. 
And  believing  in  personal,  heart-felt  piety,  and  the 
known  power  of  experimental  religion  in  the  soul, 
the  formalism  of  the  Episcopalians  forbade  his 
uniting  with  that  Church,  while  the  government  of  the 
Methodist  Protestant  Church  was  even  more  objec- 
tionable to  him  than  that  of  the  M.  E.  Church, 
South.  Hence  he  had  been  waiting  and  watching 
for  some  Church  to  make  its  appearance  whose  polity 
as  well  as  doctrines  he  could  fully  indorse,  and 
when  this  little  fragment  of  information  floated 
across  his  path,  like  a  little  cloud  across  the  sky,  he 
felt  a  longing  desire  to  know  more  of  it.  But  small 
as  the  revelation  was  it  told  him  two  things : 
1st,  That  a  portion  of  the  members  of  the  M. 
E.  Church,  South,  in  Georgia,  had  left  that 
church.  And  2d,  that  brother  Ogletree  was  one  of 
the  members  of  the  new  Church.  But  still  other 
things  must  be  known  before  this  information  would 
avail  him  anything.  1.  He  did  not  know  where  the 
new  movement  originated  or  was  located.  2.  He 
did  not  even  know  the  given  or  Christian  name  of 
the  only  member  of  whom  he  had  any  information, 
to-wit,  brother  Ogletree.  3.  He  knew  nothing  of 
the  character  of  the  Church.  But  having  long  felt 
the  necessity  of  certain   reforms  in  the  government 


48  Origin  ana1  Early  History 

of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South,  and  knowing  that  the 
new  Church  was  composed,  in  part,  at  least,  of 
others,  who  had  become  dissatisfied  with  said  Church, 
he  fancied  it  was  probable  that  they  might  have 
shared  his  objections,  and  formed  the  new  Church 
with  a  view  of  meeting  them. 

At  all  events  he  wanted  to  learn  more  of  this  new 
organization,  but  how  to  find  out  was  the  difficulty. 
The  tone  and  manner  of  the  Presiding  Elder  in  the 
conversation  before  stated  indicated  that  he  spoke 
of  the  matter  confidentially,  and  hence  he  felt  a  del- 
icacy to  make  inquiry  of  that  functionary,  and  he 
did  not  know  any  one  else  from  whom  the  desired 
information  could  be  obtained.  Shortly  after  this 
Dr.  Lovick  Pierce,  then  stationed  in  the  city  of 
Savannah,  wrote  a  piece  in  the  Southern  CJiristian 
Advocate  in  reply  to  certain  charges  which  had  been 
laid  at  his  door  about  the  new  organization,  in  which 
he  stated  the  name  of  the  new  Church,  and  that 
those  who  took  part  in  it  lived  in  "a  county  above," 
and  were  composed  of  a  number  of  local  preachers 
and  others  of  good  name. 

This  additional  information  increased  the  desire  of 
brother  Jones  to  know  more  of  "  the  Congregational 
Methodist  Church  and  those  local  preachers  and 
others  in  a  county  above,"  etc.,  but  still  he  desired 
4<  more  light." 

In  the  fall  of  that  year  brother  Jones  removed  to 

Jasper    county,   Miss.,    and    while    passing    through 

irgia,  made  diligent  inquiry  as  to  the  post-office 

address  of  brother  Ogletree,  and  finally  succeeded  in 

finding  one  man  who  could   tell   him  where  brother 


H.  T.  Jones. 


Congregational  Methodist  Church.  49 

Ogletree  lived.  After  reaching  his  new  home  and 
settling  down  he  found  some  of  his  neighbors  of  the 
same  mind  with  himself  as  to  a  church  organization, 
combining  all  the  elements  of  Methodist  faith  and 
republican  government.  Brother  Jones,  therefore, 
In  the  spring  or  early  summer  of  1853,  wrote  to 
brother  Ogletree  at  Forsyth,  Ga.,  for  information 
about  the  Congregational  Methodist  Church,  and  in 
reply  brother  Ogletree  sent  him  several  copies  of  the 
little  book  of  Discipline,  with  all  other  information 
desired  about  the  organization  of  the  Church,  etc. 
Upon  the  receipt  of  these  books  brother  Jones  and 
his  neighbors,  a  few  in  number,  finding  in  the  new 
movement  the  very  features  for  which  they  had  so 
long  looked  and  hoped,  met  at  the  house  of  L.  J. 
Jones,  on  the  29th  day  of  July,  1853,  and  there  or- 
ganized with  eight  members  the  first  Congregational 
Methodist  Church  in  the  State  of  Mississippi,  and  I 
beg  leave  to  close  this  chapter  by  exhibiting  a  copy 
of  the  preamble  and  minutes  of  that  meeting  as  fur. 
nished  me  by  one  of  those  who  took  part  in  the  same. 
It  is  as  follows : 

"A  number  of  members  of  different  branches  of  the  Christian 
Church,  believing  that  the  itinerant  system,  as  at  present  carried 
out  by  different  branches  of  the  Methodist  Church,  has  alike 
failed  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  Church  and  the  world,  and  be- 
lieving the  Congregational  form  of  worship  to  be  more  in  accord 
with  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  more  efficient  in  feeding  the  flock 
of  Christ  as  well  as  the  spread  of  Scripture  holiness,  met  at  the 
house  of  Lazarus  J.  Jones,  Esq.,  on  Friday,  July  29th,  1853, 
for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a  Congregational  Methodist 
Church.  After  reading  the  Scriptures  and  prayer  by  Rev. 
James  S.  Terral,  on  motion  brother  Tcrral  was  called  to  tbe 
chair,  and  brother  L.  J.  Jones  was  requested  to  act  as  Secretary 


50  Origin  and  Early  History 

The  following  names  from  different  denominations  were  then 
enrolled  as  members  :  Rev.  Jas  S.  Terral,  Rev.  Henry  T.  Jones, 
Lazarus  J.  Jones,  George  W.  Ryan,  Seaborn  W.  Jones,  Pleas- 
ant Morris,  Francis  M.  Jones  and  Mary  S.  Jones. 

The  Church  was  then  organized  by  the  election  of  Rev.  Henry 
T.  Jones,  Elder,  brother  S.  W.  Jones,  Leader,  Pleasant  Morris, 
Steward,  and  L.  J.  Jones,  Clerk.  The  Church  next  proceeded 
to  adopt  the  Constitution  and  government  of  the  Congregational 
Methodist  Church  extant  in  the  State  of  Georgia, 

The  third  Sabbath  in  August  and  ihe  Saturday  before  was  the 
time  appointed  for  the  next  church  meeting.  After  prayer  by 
Rev.  H.  T.  Jones  the  meeting  was  dismissed. 

Jas.  S.  Terral,  Chairman. 
L.  J.  Jones,  Secretary. 


Coyigregational  Methodist  Church.  51 


CHAPTER  XL 

The  third  District  Conference  held  its  session  at 
Rock  Spring  Church,  Monroe  county,  beginning  on 
the  13th  of  May,  1853,  the  C.  M.  Church  being  then 
one  year  and   five  days  old.      Nine  churches   were 
represented  at  this    Conference,   Mt.    Zion,    in  Car- 
roll county,  Georgia,  and   Mt.   Pisgah  and  Antioch 
churches  in  Alabama,  having  become  connected  with 
District  Conferences  nearer  home,  sent  no  delegates 
to  this  Conference.     Providence  church  had  changed 
her  name,  and  was  enrolled  among  the  churches  this 
session    under   the    name    of    "  High    Falls."     New 
Prospect,  having  also  changed,  appeared  under  the 
name  of  Sand  Hill,  the  rest  of  the  churches  still  re- 
taining their  former  names.     Liberty  Hill,  Jackson, 
and  Pleasant  Grove,  were  admitted  into  the  District 
Conference  and  their  delegates  seated.     The  delega- 
tion present  was — from  High  Falls,  W.  P.  Fambro  ; 
Jackson    R.   Shepherd,    Jas.    R.    McCord  ;   Pleasant 
Grove,  D.  P.  Carson  ;  Liberty  Hill,  J.  E.  Potts;  Mt. 
Hope,  S.  F.  Speer  and  Robert  Walker ;  Rock  Spring, 
Joshua  Sheptrine,  Theo.  Williams,  Robert   Letson, 
Jr.;    Sand    Hill,    W.    H.    Bankston,    P.    D.  Pringle ; 
Rockey  Creek,  M.  Merritt,  and  H.  Phinazee.     James 
R.  McCord  was  chosen  President  temporarily,  and  J. 
F.  N.  Huddleston,  temporary  Secretary.     Upon  or- 
ganizing permanently,  Rev.  H.  Phinazee  was  elected 
President,  and  James  R.  McCord,  Secretary.   Before 
the  close  of  the  Conference,  John  Carriker,  as  a  dele- 
gate from  Union  church,  Pike  County,  presented  a 


}- 


Origin  and  Early  History 


petition  for  admission  into  the  Conference.  The  pe- 
tition was  granted  and  he  was  duly  seated  as  a  dele- 
gate, making  the  aggregate  number  of  churches  in 
the  district  ten. 

The  fourth  session  of  this  Conference  was  held  at 
Jackson,  Butts  county ;  all  ten  of  the  churches  were 
duly  represented,  and  the  Conference  began  its  ses- 
sion on  the  9th  day  of  September,  1853.  Rev.  J.  F. 
Wethersbee,  was  chosen  temporary  President,  and 
Rev.  H.  Phinazee  temporary  Secretary. 

The  following  delegates  were  present  with  proper 
authority,  and  took  part  in  the  organization,  viz.: 
From  Union  church,  Uriah  Fincher ;  New  Hope, 
Daniel  Carroll  and  L.  P.  Culpeper ;  Jackson,  Isaac 
W.  Smith  and  John  W.  McCord  ;  Head's  Academy, 
(formerly  Liberty  Hill),  John  P.  Hunt  ;  Fredonia, 
(formerly  Sand  Hill)  Carey  Cox,  M.  Goodman  and 
Jackson  Bush  ;  High  Falls,  J.  F.  N.  Huddleston,  and 
Edward  White  ;  Pleasant  Grove,  George  W.  Barber, 
D.  P.  Carson  and  Thomas  J.  Giles;  Rock  Spring 
Joshua  Sheptrine  and  Robert  Letson  ;  Mt.  Hope,  S. 
F.  Speer,  V.  Fish  and  Robert  Walker;  Mt.  Zion 
(formerly  Rockey  Creek),  David  Ogletree  and  H. 
Phinazee.  Rev.  H.  Phinazee  was  elected  permanent 
President,  and  Jas.  R  McCord,  Secretary.  John  P. 
Hunt,  from  Head's  Academy,  and  Daniel  Carroll, 
from  New  Hope  church,  having  been  properly 
recommended  by  their  respective  churches  for  li- 
cense to  preach,  were  examined  by  a  committee  ap. 
pointed  for  that  purpose  by  the  Conference,  and 
e,  in  pursuance  of  the  report  and  recommenda- 
tion of  thai  committee,  duly  licensed  by  the  Confer- 


Congregational  Methodist  Church.  53 

ence  to  preach.  The  licenses  of  brothers  Uriah  Fin- 
cher,  Travis  Ivey,  and  John  Ham  as  exhorters,  were 
renewed  by  the  Conference,  and  brother  Frederick 
Pearce  from  Pleasant  Grove,  having  been  duly  re- 
commended by  that  church,  was  licensed  to  exhort. 

The  reports  from  the  various  churches  sent  up  to 
this  Conference,  showed  that  they  were  in  a  healthy 
and  growing  condition,  one  church  only  reported  the 
same  number  of  members  as  at  the  preceding  Con- 
ference, all  others  had  increased  their  numbers. 
Pleasant  Grove,  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Rev.  J.  F. 
N.  Huddleston,  led  the  van,  her  membership  having 
increased  from  twenty-five  to  sixty-five,  while  Fredo- 
nia,  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Rev.  Absalom  Ogle- 
tree,  followed  close  behind  with  an  increase  of  thirty- 
one  members,  raising  its  former  number  of  thirty- 
eight  to  sixty-nine.  Rock  Spring  from  sixty-five  had 
reached  ninety-three.  Mt.  Hope  had  received  twenty- 
three  new  members.  New  Hope  eighteen,  and  all  the 
rest  of  the  nine  had  increased  more  or  less,  the  aggre- 
gate increase  in  the  district  being  one  hundred  and 
sixty-one. 

The  first  district  Conference  for  the  year  1854, 
met  at  New  Hope  church,  in  Pike  county.  Rev.  H. 
Phinazee  was  temporary  President,  and  John  B. 
Thurman  temporary  Secretary.  The  proceedings  of 
this  session  were  quite  interesting  and  perfectly  har- 
monious, the  reports  showed  continued  prosperity 
and  growth  among  the  churches.  This  Conference 
was  in  March,  1854,  and  was  the  last  Conference 
held  during  the  third  year  of  the  existence  of  the  C. 
M.    Church.     And    although    the   birth-day    of   the 


54  Origin  and  Early  History 

Church  was  "a  day  of  small  things,  the  Church  now 
represented  by  the  delegates  to  this  Conference, 
showed  that  the  hand  of  God  had  guarded  them  and 
prospered  them  in  their  way. 


Congregational  Methodist   Church.  55 


CHAPTER  XII. 

The  progress  of  God's  work  is  sometimes  rapid,  at 
others  very  slow.  Within  less  than  seven  months  from 
the  organization  of  the  first  Congregational  Metho- 
dist church  in  Midle  Georgia,  the  seed  had  sprung 
up  in  the  State  of  Alabama,  whither  they  had  been 
wafted  by  favoring  breezes,  but  it  never  gained  a  foot- 
hpld  in  Florida  until  near  the  close  of  1871,  more 
than  19  years  from  the  time  of  the  first  meeting  at 
the  house  of  brother  Mickleberry  Merritt.  But  such 
has  ever  been  the  history  of  the  Church,  and  proba- 
bly the  future  will  not  differ  from  the  past  in  this 
particular. 

In  the  year  1871,  there  lived  in  Alabama  an  old 
minister  by  the  name  of  Virgil  Nichols,  who  was  a 
member  of  the  C.  M.  Church.  He  was  then  very  old 
and  poor,  his  family  consisted  of  his  aged  wife,  a 
widowed  daughter,  Mrs.  Eliza  Morgan,  and  her  three 
little  girls,  Emma,  Sarah  and  Rebecca.  In  the  latter 
part  of  1 87 1  father  Nichols  conceived  the  idea  of 
moving  to  West  Florida.  And  after  making  what 
arrangements  he  could,  started  to  move  between  one 
and  two  hundred  miles,  with  his  helpless  family  and 
all  his  earthly  goods  in  an  ox-cart,  drawn  by  one  ox. 
Without  stopping  to  speak  of  the  privation,  expos- 
ure and  fatigues  of  his  long,  slow  and  disagreeable 
journey,  I  will  content  myself  on  this  point  by  say- 
ing, he  reached  the  end  of  his  journey  near  Portland, 
Florida,  about  the  20th  of  December.  Sick  himself 
with  fever,  his  wife  with  rheumatism,  and  two  of  his 


56  Origin  and  Early  History 

little  grand-daughters  also  sick, — without  provisions, 
without  money — a  stranger  in  a  strange  land.     Here 
was  the  first  representation  of  the  C.  M.  Church  in 
"  the  Land  of  Flowers."  What  a  picture  !    Here  was 
poverty,  old  age,  widowhood,  orphanage,   and  sick- 
ness, under  the  same  roof.     And  under  that  roof  was 
the  hope  of  the  C.  M.  Church  for  the  future  in  that 
sunny  land,  where  the  birds  sing  all  the  year  round, 
and  the  flowers  bloom  every  month  in  the  year.     Rea- 
der, do  you  see  this  picture?     Look  at  the  shadows 
gathering  about  it.     But  lest  you  should  not  see  the 
light  as  well  as  the  shade,  let  us  drop  the  curtain  for 
a  time  and  look  at  another  picture.     Near  by  this 
place  there  lived  a  gentleman  who,  although  a  mar- 
ried man,  might  be  called  a  young  man,  financially 
he  was  "well-to-do  "  in  the  world.     Socially  he  was 
beloved  of  his  neighbors,  morally  he  was  in  many  res- 
pects a  model,  but  religiously  he  was  deficient.     From 
what  little  I  have  learned  and  seen  of  him,  I  am  in- 
clined to  the  opinion  that  he  had  been  converted 
probably  years  before,  but  had  not  joined  any  Church. 
I  [is  mother,  who  was  a  very  good  woman,  had  been  a 
member  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South,  but  having  look- 
ed into  its  government  and  economy,  became  dissatis- 
fied, and  when  she  removed  from  Madison  to  West 
Florida,  took  her  letter  and  never  would  unite  with 
that  Church  again,  and  but  for  the  organization  of  a 
C.  M.  Church  near  where  she  lived,  would,  probably 
never  have  united  with  any  Church  again.    This  man's 
name  wa  II.  Berry. 

Shortly  after  father  Nichols  arrived,  as  before  sta- 
ted, the  rumor  that  an  old  preacher  and  his  family 


Rev.  George  H.  Berry, 

OF  FLORIDA. 


Congregational  Methodist  Church.  57 

who  had  recently  moved  into  the  neighborhood  were 
sick,  and  in  need,  came  to  the  ears  of  Mr.  Berry,  and 
in  obedience  to  the  promptings  of  his  heart,  he  went 
to  see  them,  little  dreaming  of  the  new  chapter  in 
the  Book  of  Life,  which  was  about  to  begin  with  him. 
In  my  imagination  I  see  him  enter  that  humble  home, 
and  stand  bewildered  at  the  evidence  of  his  eye- 
sight. Upon  his  lowly  bed  he  beheld  the  aged  and 
wasted  servant  of  God,  poor  in  earthly  goods  but 
rich  in  faith,  unconscious  of  the  fact  that  this  feeble 
old  man  who  was  in  need  of  food  for  his  body,  was 
ere  long  to  minister  to  him  in  spiritual  things,  and  that 
it  was  to  be  through  such  an  humble  instrument  that 
God  was  to  bless  him,  with  the  full  enjoyment  of 
the  bread  spiritual  which  cometh  down  from  Heaven. 
There  is  a  world  of  glory  and  brightness  in  Gods 
manifestations.  These  two  men  thrown  together 
by  circumstances,  seemed  the  counterpart  of  each 
other,  neither  able  to  do  much  by  himself,  but  each 
possessing  the  special  qualification  which  the  other 
lacked,  like  the  blind  traveler  and  the  lame  beggar, 
unable  to  travel  separate,  but  exactly  suited  to  go  to- 
gether, bearing  each  others  burdens,  and  thus  fulfill- 
ing the  law  of  Christ.  Mr.  Berry  supplied  the  wants 
of  the  destitute  and  afflicted  family  as  far  as  he  could, 
received  the  thanks  and  gratitude  of  their  hearts,  and 
went  back  to  his  home  followed  by  their  payers  and 
blessings,  leaving  the  family  profoundly  impressed 
with  the  care  which  God  takes  of  his  children. 
While  Mr.  Berry  felt  not  only  a  sense  of  a  duty  dis- 
charged, but  also  a  mysterious  interest  in  that  old 
man  upon  his  sick  bed,  and  perhaps  wondering,  like 


58  Origin  and  Early  History 

Cornelius  when  he  saw  a  vision  at  what  all  this  should 
portend.  The  old  and  suffering  saint  had  told  him 
he  belonged  to  the  "Congregational  Methodist 
Church."  Mr.  Berry  had  never  before  heard  of  such 
a  church;  there  was  something  like  a  charm  in  the 
name  to  him.  Question  after  question  about  its 
doctrines,  its  usages,  its  government,  where  it  origi- 
nated, etc.,  came  crowding  into  his  mind,  but  the  suff- 
erer was  too  feeble  and  to  much  in  need  of  rest  to  an- 
swer them  now,  hence  he  must  wait. 

And  now,  reader,  when  for  the  third  time  we  look 
into  that  humble  home,  we  see  a  little  light  mingling 
with  the  shade,  and  yet,  perhaps,  you  may  ask  can 
anything  considerable  come  from  such  feeble  instru- 
mentalities? To  which  I  answer,  come  with  me  to 
the  sequel  and  you  shall  see  in  the  next  chapter,  and 
learn  that 

"  God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way, 
His  wonders  to  perform 

He  plants  his  footsteps  in  the  sea 
And  rides  upon  the  storm." 


Congregational  Methodist  Church.  59 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

The  acquaintance  between  father  Nichols  and  his 
new  friend  grew  with  each  visit  of  Mr.  Berry  to  his 
house.  Rest  and  kind  attention  cheered,  comforted 
and  strengthened  the  aged  Christian.  As  soon  as 
his  returning  strength  would  permit,  he  began  to 
preach  whenever  and  wherever  opportunity  was 
offered.  His  preaching  created  considerable  stir. 
Some  objected  to  him  because  he  was  what  they 
called  a  new  light ;  others  said  he  was  too  old  to 
preach,  while  others  became  interested  in  his 
preaching.  Father  Nichols  seemed  to  have  a  special, 
earnest  desire  for  the  salvation  of  Mr.  Berry,  and 
frequently  approached  him  on  the  subject  of  religion, 
but  met  with  little  encouragement.  But  one  day  he 
handed  Mr.  Berry  a  copy  of  the  C.  M.  Discipline, 
and  specially  requested  him  to  read  it.  This  Mr. 
Berry  consented  to  do.  The  perusal  of  that  little 
book  was  attended  with  great  interest  in  the  mind 
of  Mr.  Berry.  In  it  he  found  the  good  old  Meth- 
odist doctrines,  which  had  been  taught  him  by  his 
good  mother,  and  a  government  so  just,  evenly  bal- 
anced, and  Republican  in  every  feature,  that  his 
judgment  at  once  indorsed  the  whole  thing,  as  com- 
bining the  best  faith  and  government  he  had  ever 
seen,  and  soon  afterward  he  gladdened  the  heart  of 
father  Nichols  by  telling  him  that  whenever  he 
joined  any  church  it  would  be  the  C.  M.  Church. 

Father  Nichols  now  began  to  try  for  an  organiza- 
tion,   but    difficulties    gathered    about    him,    which 


60  Origin  and  Early  History 

would  have  deterred  many  a  younger  man,  and  indeed 
any  man  whose  heart  was  not  "fixed"  and  although 
he  perhaps  felt  almost  like  Elijah  in  the  desert,  he 
nevertheless  pressed  forward,  resolved  to  succeed  if 
possible.  Finally  he  determined  to  make  the  ven- 
ture. He  accordingly  made  a  visit  up  into  middle 
Alabama,  and  while  passing  through  Louisville, 
called  on  Dr.  D.  A.  Murdock,  a  minister  of  the  C.  M. 
Church  ;  also  brother  Haines,  of  New  Topia,  and  in- 
duced those  good  brethren  to  promise  to  visit  the 
community  where  he  lived  and  preach.  From  what 
father  Nichols  had  told  them,  these  brethren  felt 
peculiarly  impressed  that  it  was  their  duty  to  go. 
Accordingly  they  wrote  to  Mr.  Berry  (whose  address 
had  been  furnished  them  by  father  Nichols),  request- 
ing him  to  give  notice  at  his  mill  that  they  would 
begin  a  meeting  at  a  church  nearby,  called  "  Union," 
on  Saturday  before  the  third  Sunday  in  October,  1 872. 
As  the  appointed  time  drew  near  for  these  brethren 
to  leave  home  and  start  on  their  long  journey  of  130 
miles,  difficulties  began  to  gather  about  them,  and 
the  nearer  the  day  came  the  more  and  greater  were 
the  obstacles  in  the  way.  Dr.  Murdock  said  it  really 
seemed  that  lie  could  not  go,  and  still  the  Spirit  im- 
pressed him  that  he  must  go.  Finally  the  time  to 
start  came,  with  a  heavy  practice  and  several  patients 
seriously  sick ;  he  resolved  to  leave  all  in  the  hands 
of  God,  and  go  in  obedience  to  the  Macedonian  cry, 
the  echoes  of  which  they  heard  coming  from  Florida, 
"Come  and  help  us."  They  reached  their  destina- 
tion  in  good  time,  began    the  meeting  at   the  time 


Congregational  Methodist  Church.  61 

designated,  and  had  a  glorious  meeting,  and  before 
they  left  organized  the  first  C.  M.  church  ever  con- 
stituted in  Florida,  consisting  of  seven  members — 
two  males  and  five  females,  and  included  in  that 
number  was  George  H.  Berry.  This  little  flock 
organized  October  20,  1872,  and  called  father  Nichols 
as  their  pastor. 

From  the  day  that  father  Nichols  landed  in  Florida, 
he  had  watched  and  waited  to  see  the  Church  which 
he  loved  so  well  planted  in  that  State,  and  from  the 
day  that  George  H.  Berry  came  like  "  the  good 
Samaritan  "  to  visit  the  afflicted  and  feed  the  hun- 
gry of  his  household,  he  had  not  ceased  to  pray  that 
he  might  enter  fully  into  that  service,  for  which  he 
believed  he  would  be  so  well  fitted,  if  his  heart  was 
only  full  of  God's  love.  And  now,  like  good  old 
Simeon  waiting  for  the  consolation  of  Israel,  wan- 
dering in  the  temple  one  morning  and  seeing  the 
promised  "Child  Redeemer,"  felt  that  life's  labor 
was  ended,  so  father  Nichols,  having  seen  the  C.  M. 
Church  established  in  "  the  Land  of  Flowers,"  and 
his  kind  friend  Berry  taking  his  stand  as  a  member 
of  that  Church  and  a  servant  of  God,  looked  com- 
placently for  life's  sun-set  to  come  and  put  a  period 
to  his  labors  and  trials,  and  soon  it  came.  On  the 
24th  of  December,  1872,  the  Great  Captain,  under 
whose  command  he  had  so  long  and  so  faithfully 
fought,  called  him  back  from  the  face  of  the  foe,  and 
the  old  soldier,  scarred,  weary  and  wasted  with  life's 
long  conflicts,  stacked  his  arms  and  laid  down  his 
well-worn  armor  on   life's   last   and  brightest  battle- 


62  Origin  and  Early  History 

field,  and  went  home  a  conqueror,  while   the   angel 
choir  sang — 

"Soldier  of  Cbrist,  well  done." 

The  little  church  so  recently  organized,  so  few  in 
numbers,  and  feeble  in  earthly  resources,  with  only 
six  members — five  of  these  females,  and  three  of  the 
females  widows  and  one  an  orphan — found  themselves 
without  a  pastor  and  120  miles  from  the  nearest 
church  of  their  ''faith  and  order,"  and  to  make  their 
condition  more  unhappy,  the  devil  had  kindled  the 
fire  of  persecution  around  them  on  every  side.  But 
this  only  served  to  bind  them  closer  to  each  other, 
and  to  make  them  feel  more  intensely  their  utter 
dependence  on  the  hand  of  their  Heavenly  Father, 
and,  like  the  disciples  who  were  gathered  together 
praying  for  the  deliverance  of  Peter  from  prison, 
this  little  band  prayed  continually  that  God  would 
send  them  help.  They  petitioned  the  nearest  Dis- 
trict Conference  for  a  preacher,  but  no  answer  came. 
Finally  God  moved  upon  the  heart  of  brother  Berry, 
who  began,  under  the  promptings  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
to  conduct  meetings  for  the  little  flock,  and  finally, 
in  May,  1873,  when  the  General  Conference  met  at 
Mount  Jefferson,  Alabama,  brother  Berry  was  there 
(having  been  properly  recommended  for  ordination), 
and  on  Sunday,  the  1 2th  day  of  May,  was  solemnly 
ordained  to  the  office  of  Elder  in  the  Church  of  God. 

Immediately  upon  his  return  the  little  church  of 
Jlvr  wonun  called  him  to  be  their  pastor.  He  ac- 
cepted, and  entered  upon  his  duty  "trembling"  but 
trusting. 


Congregational  Methodist  Church,  63 

God  has  greatly  blessed  and  prospered  his  labors, 
and  the  little  church  has  increased  until  there  are  to- 
day in  West  Florida  six  churches  with  240  members, 
three  ordained  ministers  and  seven  exhorters,  and 
the  good  work  goes  on.  And  many  there  are  all 
over  that  country  who  bless  the  day  when  father 
Nichols  came  to  make  his  home  in  that  section. 


64  Origin  and  Early  History 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Second  District  Conference  in  Georgia  for 
the  year  1854,  met  with  the  church  at  Pleasant  Grove 
on  the  first  day  of  September.  S.  F.  Speer,  of  Mount 
Hope  church  was  elected  as  temporary  President, 
and  J.  R.  McCord,  of  Jackson,  temporary  Secretary. 
The  following  delegates  were  reported  present 
with  proper  certificates,  viz :  From  Pleasant  Grove, 
Thomas  J.  Giles,  David  P.  Carson  and  John  B. 
Thurman ;  Mount  Zion,  Absalom  Ogletree,  Travis 
Ivey,  Hiram  Phinazee  and  Wm.  L.  Fambrough ; 
New  Hope,  Jas.  Lefsey  and  Daniel  Carroll ;  Union, 
Uriah  Fincher;  Jackson,  J.  R.  McCord  and  Caswell 
Ethridge ;  Fredonia,  William  E.  Potts,  Jas.  A. 
Means  and  Jas.  Brazier;  Rock  Spring,  Joshua  Shep- 
trine,  Robert  Letson,  Peter  Nicholson  and  Wm.  P. 
Sheptrine ;  Mount  Hope,  Robert  Walker,  Washing- 
ton Warren  and  Simeon  F.  Speer;  Providence,  J.  F. 
N.  Huddleson  and  W.  F.  Mapp  ;  Mount  Pleasant, 
Jesse  Waddell;  and  Liberty,  W.  A.  Walker.  The 
election  of  permanent  officers  resulted  in  the  choice 
<>f  Rev.  Absalom  Ogletree,  President,  and  Jas.  R.  Mc- 
Cord, Secretary.  J  no.  Bass,  C.  S.  Leseur  and  Mc- 
Kendree  Tuckei*,  were  present  as  fraternal  messen- 
gers from  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church.  Rev. 
John  A.  Hurst  and  Peter  M.  Roland,  were  present 
as  visiting  brethren  from  the  C.  M.  Church  in  Ala- 
bama. 

At  the  time  of  this  Conference  I  was  a  youth  of 
seventeen,  and  a    member  of  the   church    where  the 


Congregational  Methodist  Church.  65 

Conference  was  held,  and  will  here  record  some  of 
my  recollections  of  the  visiting  and  fraternal  breth- 
ren. 

My  recollection  of  brother  Leseur  of  the  fraternal 
delegates  M.  P.  Church  is  limited,  I  remember  but 
very  little,  indeed,  so  little,  that  I  can  only  say  I 
thought  him  a  very  proper  person  to  be  sent  on  such  a 
mission.  Brother  John  Bass  was  a  layman,  grave  and 
dignified  in  manner,  and  noble  and  commanding  in 
appearance,  he  was  indeed  a  fine  specimen  of  the 
elegant,  cultivated,  Christian  gentleman,  his  conver- 
sational powers  were  very  fine,  and  I  then  felt  it 
would  be  a  privilege  hard  to  be  valued,  to  associate 
with  him.  Brother  McKendree  Tucker  was  a  minis- 
ter, then  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  at  the  zenith  of  his 
usefulness.  I  remember  to-day  distinctly,  how  I  sat 
with  delight  and  listened  to  two  sermons  from  him 
during  that  meeting.  In  the  beginning  of  his  dis- 
course those  not  accustomed  to  his  preaching,  would 
be  impressed  with  the  idea  that  his  capacity  was  quite 
limited.  During  the  first  ten  minutes  after  an- 
nouncing his  text,  he  would  proceed  as  though  his 
subject  had  not  been  digested,  and  it  would  seem 
that  he  was  entering  upon  a  rambling  talk,  rather 
than  a  well  arranged  sermon,  and  even  his  voice  ap- 
peared to  be  not  subject  to  control ;  but  as  he  ad- 
vanced he  seemed  to  catch  inspiration,  and  the  longer 
he  preached,  the  deeper  he  plunged  into  his  subject, 
and  the  higher  he  soared  in  his  illustrations,  clearer, 
louder  and  sweeter  his  clarion  voice  would  reach 
every  corner,  and  impress  every  ear  in  the  house  ; 
you  could    but    seldom    see    anybody   asleep    while 


66  Origin  and  Early  History 

brother  Tucker  was  preaching,  nobody  could  afford 
to  sleep  on  such  an  occasion.  And  when  he  would 
take  his  seat,  you  would  rarely  hear  any  objection 
urged  to  the  sermon,  except  that  it  was  too  short.  I 
never  saw  brother  Tucker  until  that  meeting,  but  I 
learned  to  love  him  much  then,  and  I  have  been  ever 
since  learning  to  love  him  more. 

Brother  Hurst  was  an  old  man,  white  haired  and 
venerable,  he  appeared  to  grace  the  sacred  stand 
as  much  as  any  man  I  ever  saw.  He  delighted  in 
his  Master's  work  and  loved  nothing  else  so  much  as 
duty.  His  sermons  were  plain  and  practical  and 
pointed.  He  never  gathered  flowers  of  fancy  to 
weave  into  the  web  of  his  discourses,  but  he  could 
tell,  with  wondrous  power,  the  old,  old  story  of  the 
Cross.  And  sometimes  when  he  would  come  to 
speak  of  the  Heavenly  Canaan,  he  would  impress 
his  hearers  with  the  heavenly  brightness  which  ap- 
peared that  morning  when  Moses  stood  alone  upon 
Pisgah's  summit,  and  feasted  his  eyes  upon  the  earthly 
Canaan  until  he  had  been  prepared  to  look  upon  the 
matchless  beauty  of  the  Heavenly  Land.  He  was 
indeed  a  grand  old  man,  and  a  noble  preacher. 
Brother  Rowland  was  then  quite  a  young  man,  and 
I  believe  had  not  been  licensed  to  preach  ;  he  was  in 
appearance  tall  and  awkward,  and  yet  he  seemed  to 
have  a  kind  of  personal  magnetism  about  him,  that 
made  everybody  who  came  in  contact  with  him  love 
him.  Brother  Rowland  is  still  living,  and  is  one  of 
the  most  useful  ministers  belonging  to  our  Church. 
I  have  not  space  to  say  more  of  these  brethren  now, 


Congregational  Methodist   CJiureh. 

but  I  hope  to  be  able  to  write  more  at  length  about 
some ^  if  not  all  of  them,  before  a  great  while. 

A  resolution  calling  a  Convention  at  Mount  Ziun 
in  the  spring  of  1855,  was  adopted  by  this  Confer- 
ence. The  Church  now  having  taken  root  in  the 
three  States  of  Georgia,  Alabama  and  Mississippi,  it 
was  thought  advisable  to  call  a  Convention  of  all  the 
churches  to  revise  the  Discipline.  By  another  reso- 
lution the  Methodist  Protestant  Church  was  invited 
to  send  delegates  to  that  Convention.  And  Revs. 
H.  Phinazee,  A.  Ogletree,  J.  F.  N.  Huddleston,  and 
John  P.  Hunt,  with  brothers  O.  P.  Willis,  M.  Merritt, 
and  W.  A.  McCune,  of  the  laity,  were  appointed 
fraternal  messengers  to  visit  the  next  session  of  the 
Georgia  Annual  Conference  of  the  M.  P.  Church. 

And  thus  closed  the  last  Conference  for  the  third 
year  of  the  existence  of  the  new  Church,  and  the 
''little  flock"  "thanked  God  and  took  courage." 


68  Origin  and  Early  History 


CHAPTER  XV. 

From  1852  to  1872  no  organization  under  the 
Congregational  Methodist  Discipline  had  even  been 
effected  in  the  State  of  Missouri ;  indeed  prior  to 
that  time,  the  news  of  the  origin  or  existence  of  such 
a  Church,  even,  does  not  appear  to  have  reached  that 
State  ;  so  studiously  had  the  publication  of  what  had 
started  in  Georgia  and  spread  to  Alabama,  Missis- 
sippi and  other  States  been  avoided,  that  the  good 
people  of  this  growing  young  State  had  not  so  much 
as  heard  that  such  an  organization  existed  at  all. 

There  lived  in  1873,  near  Marquand,  Missouri,  a 
minister  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South,  who  belonged 
to  the  local  ranks,  and  was  a  man  of  some  promi- 
nence in  that  Church,  by  the  name  of  Reuben  Watts. 
Brother  Watts  had  long  been  dissatisfied  with  the 
episcopacy  and  itineracy  of  his  Church,  but  did  not 
know  of  any  organization  where  he  could  be  better 
suited,  and  therefore  had  made  the  best  he  could  of 
his  unpleasant  position  as  local  preacher,  and  sub- 
mitted to  the  snubbing  and  slights  which  usually 
fall  to  the  lot  of  that  class  of  good  men  in  that 
Church,  believing  that  what  could  not  be  cured  must 
needs  be  endured. 

At  the  time  referred  to  brother  Watts  was  a  sub- 
scribe'- to  the  Christian  Advocate  published  in  the 
city  of  St.  Louis,  and  then  edited  by  Dr.  McAnnally. 
In  May,  1873,  tnc  editor  of  the  Advocate  gave  in  the 
shape  of  an  editorial,  a  brief  outline  of  the  form  of 
ernment  of  the  different  branches  of  the  Metho- 


Congregational  Methodist  Church.  69 

dist  Church,  and  among  the  rest  the  form  of  govern- 
ment of  the  C.  M.  Church.  As  the  eye  of  brother 
Watts    fell    on    this  outline  of   the    Congregational 

Methodist  Church  government,  he  at  once  recog- 
nized the  features  of  government  in  a  Methodist 
church  which  he  had  long  since  endorsed,  and  which 
were  in  full  accord  with  his  own  views. 

There  were  quite  a  number  of  ministers  and  mem- 
bers of  the  M.E.  Church,  South,  in  the  same  com- 
munity, who  were  not  satisfied  with  episcopal  power 
and    itinerant    rule,    as   indeed    there   are    in   every 
community    (almost)   where   they   have    an    organi- 
zation.    To  some  of  these  brother   Watts    commu- 
nicated the  information  gathered,  as  before   stated, 
from    the    Christian   Advocate.      Among   the    latter 
may  be  mentioned  Rev.  Wm.  Watts  and   Rev.  L.  P. 
Yount.     By  some  means  (I  cannot  exactly  say  how) 
brother  Yount  ascertained  that  Rev.  Eppes  Tucker 
of  Opelika,  Ala.,  was  then  publishing  the  CONGRE- 
GATIONAL  Methodist,   the   organ   of  the   C.    M. 
Church,  and  wrote  to   him    for  some  copies  of  his 
paper.     These  were  forwarded,  and  a  careful  perusal 
of  the  same  resulted  in  a  more  earnest  desire  to  know 
more  of  the  Church ;  hence  brother  Yount  wrote  to 
brother  Tucker  for  three  copies  of  the  C.  M.  Church 
Discipline.     These    were   promptly    forwarded    and 
duly  received.     Earnestly  searching  for  a  Methodist 
organization  with  whose  government  they  would  be 
satisfied,  but  unwilling  to  take  any  hasty  or  unad- 
vised  step,  these   good    men  carefully  studied  and 
closely  scanned  every  feature  of  the  C.  M.  Church 
Discipline.     Finally,  after   long  and    patient  study 


JO  Origin  and  Early  History 

and  much  earnest  prayer  to  God  for  direction,  they 
declared  their  convictions  one  to  the  other,  that  the 
C.  M.  Church  was  the  long  looked-for  thing — "a 
church  with  Methodist  doctrines  and  republican  gov- 
ernment.1* 

This  feeling  was  not  confined  to  one  community,but 
the  three  little  books  were  passed  from  house  to  house, 
and  from  neighborhood  to  neighborhood,  and  large 
numbers  of  Methodists  became  enlisted  in  the  move- 
ment which  was  about  to  begin  in  that  State.  Finally 
during  the  first  month  of  the  year  1874,  the  Mis- 
souri brethren  resolved  to  take  action  in  the  pre- 
mises, and  on  the  31st  day  of  January  of  that  year 
brother  Reuben  Watts  organized  the  first  Congrega- 
tional Methodist  Church  in  Missouri,  at  Patton,  Bel- 
linger county,  with  eleven  members.  Four  days 
later  he  organized  a  second  church  at  Rock  Point, 
with  sixteen  members,  and  the  following  week  he  or- 
ganized the  third  one  at  Pleasant  Valley,  with  a 
membership  of  twenty-four. 

On  the  2 1  st  of  July,  1879,  brother  R.  Watts,  then 
upon  his  bed  and  near  the  shore  of  eternity,  wrote 
me  in  reference  to  the  condition  of  the  Church  as 
follows;  referring  to  the  first  organization  of  the  C. 
M.  Church  in  Missouri,  he  said:  "  Since  which  time 
we  have  most  gloriously  prospered,  amid  all  the  hard 
ayings  and  persecutions  that  a  Christian  people 
ever  underwent." 

Rev.  Eppes  Tucker  visited  Missouri  not  long  after 
the  first  start  of  Congregational  Methodism  there, 
and  did  -nme  effective  work  for  the  Church  there. 
Prosperity  has  attended  the  labors  of  our  ministry, 
and  they  rejoice  in  the  blessings  of  "peace." 


( ongregational  Methodist  ( 'kurch. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

The  first  District  Conference  for  the  year  1855 
met  with  the  church  at  Providence,  in  Monroe  county, 
Georgia. 

The  following  were  the  delegates  in  attendance  : 

From  Providence — John  Ham,  John  E.  Pettagrew, 
William  Scarborough,  B.  M.  Huddleston  and  H.  B- 
Fletcher. 

From  Jackson — R.  F.  Gilmore. 

Pleasant  Grove — F.  M  Wise,  Stephen  Moore,  D. 
P.  Carson,  T.  B.  McCune  and  S.  C.  McDaniel. 

Mt.  Zion — Wm.  L.  Fambro,  George  Edwards  and 
David  Ogletree. 

Fredonia — W.  H.  Bankston,  Cary  Cox  and  P.  D. 
Pringle., 

Rock  Spring — Absalom  Ogletree,  Theo.  Williams, 
A.  Hodge  and  C.  G.  Harper. 

New  Hope — Lewis  Culpepper  and  Daniel  Carroll. 

Mt.  Pleasant — Jesse  Waddell  and  John  Roper. 

Union — William  H.  Graham. 

Liberty  Hill — James  Potts. 

Rev.  Cary  Cox  was  elected  President,  and  David 
Ogletree,  Secretary. 

Mt.  Carmel  C.  M  church,  located  in  Crawford 
county,  made  application  for  admission  into  the  Con- 
ference. The  church  was  duly  admitted,  and  brother 
M.  Ogletree,  her  delegate,  seated. 

Brother  Jesse  Waddell  having  been  properly  recom. 
mended  by  his  church  (Mt.  Pleasant),  was  granted 
license  to  exhort. 


J 2  Origin  and  Early  History 

The  aggregate  membership  of  the  district  now 
reached  nearly  six  hundred. 

This  Conference  met  on  the  23d  day  of  March. 

The  next  District  Conference  met  with  the  church 
at  Fredonia,  Monroe  county,  on  the  7th  of  Septem- 
ber, 1855.     The  following  delegates  attended: 

From  Fredonia — Carey  Cox,  Jackson  Bush  and 
W.  H.  Bankston. 

From  Mt.  Zion — H.  Phinazee,  W.  L.  Fambro  and 
Mickelberry  Merritt. 

From  Providence — Edward  White  and  J.  F.  N. 
Huddleston. 

From  Rock  Spring — Absalom  Ogletree. 

From  Mt.  Hope — W.  Warren  and  W.  Orear. 

From  New  Hope — Daniel  Carroll  and  Lewis  Cul- 
pepper. 

From  Union — Uriah  Fincher. 

From  Philadelphia  (formerly  Liberty  Hill) — J.  E. 
Potts. 

From  Mt.  Pleasant — Jesse  Waddell. 

From  Pleasant  Grove — John  B.  Thurman,  John  S. 
McDaniel  and  George  W.  Barber. 

From  Jackson — Lory  Goddard. 

From  Mt.  Carmel— W.  V.  Gordon. 

W.  L.  Fambro  was  elected  President  and  H.  Phin- 
azee, Secretary.  John  S.  McDaniel  of  Pleasant 
Grove,  and  Uriah  Fincher,  of  Union,  having  been 
recommended  by  their  respective  churches  for  li- 
cense to  preach  were  duly  examined  by  the  Confer- 
ence and  received  license. 

The  license  of  Daniel  Carrol  and  John  P.  Hunt 
were    renewed.      Pleasant    Hill,    C.    M.   church,    of 


IBfr'V 


Congregational  Methodist  Church.  73 

Upson  county,  made  application  and  was  admitted 
into  the  Conference. 

The  next  session  of  this  body  met  at  New  Hope 
church,  in  Pike  county,  March  7,  1856,  and  was 
composed  of  the  following  delegates  : 

Jackson  Bush,  W.  H.  Bankston,  P.  D.  Pringle,  T- 
W.  Moye,  Daniel  Carroll,  L.  P.  Culpepper,  Theo. 
Williams,  M.  Byrd,  Edward  White,  Wm.  P.  Fambro, 
W.  L.  Fambro,  W.  H.  Graham,  William  Gregory, 
S.  C.  McDaniel  and  Bolden  Brown. 

William  L.  Fambro  was  elected  President  and 
Thomas  W.  Moye,  Secretary. 

Among  other  regular  business  this  Conference 
elected  and  ordained  Daniel  Carroll  an  Elder,  he 
having  been  properly  recommended  by  New  Hope 
church  of  which  he  was  member.  And  after  going 
through  with  the  regular  order  of  business  the  Con- 
ference resolved  itself  into  a  State  Conference  re- 
taining the  same  officers. 

The  President  appointed  a  committee  of  seven 
viz:  Carey  Cox,  W.  H.  Graham,  Theo.  Williams, 
W.  T.  Fambro,  T.  W.  Moye,  L.  P.  Culpepper  and 
B.  Brown  to  divide  the  churches  into  districts. 

The  Committee  reported  that  they  recommend 
that  the  churches  be  divided  into  two  districts  to 
be  called  the  Towaliga  and  Flint  River  Districts. 
That  the  churches  of  New  Market,  Pleasant  Grove, 
New  Providence,  Rock  Spring,  Philadelphia  and  Mt. 
Zion  compose  the  Towaliga  district,  and  the  churches 
of  Mt.  Pleasant,  Pleasant  Hill,  New  Hope,  Mt. 
Hope  and  Mt.  Carmel,  Fredonia  and  Union  com- 
pose the  Flint  River  district. 


74  Origin  and  Early  History 

The  report  of  the  Committee  was  adopted. 

The  Conference  then  elected  the  following  dele- 
gates to  the  General  Conference  to  be  held  at  Mt. 
Zion,  Monroe  county,  Georgia,  in  May  of  that  year, 
viz  :  H.  Phinazee,  A.  Ogletree,  C.  Cox,  W.  A.  Mc- 
Cune,  W.  I...  Fambro  W.  P.  Fambro  and  M.  Merritt. 

And  now  having  traced  this  movement  from  its 
inception  to  this  point,  I  shall  not  follow  it  further. 
I  shall  take  one  step  backwards  to  notice  the  Con- 
vention of  1855  and  then  leave  the  matter  to  some 
abler  pen  to  write  the  regular  history  of  the  Congre- 
gational Methodist  Church. 


Congregational  Methodist   Church.  75 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

I  now  come  to  write  of  one  of  the  most  impor- 
tant incidents  in  the  history  of  our  Church,  to-wit: 
the  Convention  of  1855  I  however  approach  tin's 
part  of  my  duty  more  reluctantly  than  I  have  any 
other  part  of  it  in  this  matter,  for  the  reason  that  I 
do  not  possess  sufficient  information  about  the  com- 
position or  the  action  of  that  august  and  important 
assemblage,  to  write  about  it  in  a  manner  at  all  cred- 
itable. More  than  once  I  have  almost  determined 
to  say  nothing  about  that  Convention,  fearing  that 
an  effort  to  write  about  such  a  Convention  without 
more  information  than  I  have  been  able  to  gather, 
would  be  worse  than  no  history  at  all.  But  having 
started,  I  feel  now  that  it  would  be  manifestly  im- 
proper to  close  my  labors  without  referring  to  the 
Convention  of   1S55. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  first  district  Con- 
ference ever  held,  passed  a  resolution  stating  in  sub- 
stance that  from  the  hurried  manner  in  which  the  first 
book  of  Discipline  was  gotten  up,  a  Convention  of  all 
the  churches  would  be  called  as  soon  as  circumstances 
authorized  it  to  revise  the  Discipline  for  permanent 
use.  Accordingly  in  1854  when  the  Church  had 
taken  hold  in  different  parts  of  Georgia,  Alabama, 
and  Mississippi,  the  district  Conference  in  Georgia 
passed  a  resolution  calling  such  a  Convention  to 
meet  at  Mt.  Zion,  in  the  spring  of  the  next  year. 
And  in  obedience  to  this  call,  the  different  churches 
throughout  the  entire  conection  elected  delegates  to 


j6  Origin  and  Early  History 

said  Convention  which  met  on  the day  of  

1855.  William  L.  Fambro,  who  had  been  the  Presi- 
dent of  first  district  Conference  and  one  of  the  "  orig- 
inal" movers  in  this  direction,  was  in  every  way  an 
appropriate  person  for  the  Presidency  of  this  impor- 
tant body  of  Christians,  to  which  he  was  unani- 
mously called  by  his  brethren. 

One  of  the  most  important  committees  appointed 
by  this  body,  was  the  Committee  on  Revisals.  That 
Committee  consisting  of  nine  members,  was  filled 
with  three  of  the  ablest  delegates  from  each  of  the 
three  States  of  Georgia,  Alabama  and  Mississippi, 
viz:  J.  F.  N.  Huddleston,  Absalom  Ogletree  and 
William  A.  McCune,  of  Georgia ;  John  A.  Hurst, 
James  M.  Adams  and  Robert  D.  Kennedy,  of  Ala- 
bama, and  L.  J.  Jones,  Henry  T.  Jones  and  Willis 
Windham,  of  Mississippi.  Tnis  able  Committee 
after  patient,  earnest,  laborious  effort  as  the  result  of 
their  labors,  reported  to  the  Conference  the  follow- 
ing seven  paragraphs  as  embodying  the  foundation 
principles  of  the  C.  M.  Church,  as  a  distinctive  de- 
nomination of  Christians. 

1.  "The  fundamental  doctrines  of  the  Christian  Church, 
while  they  do  not  furnish  the  form,  maintain  the  principles 
which  should  serve  as  the  basis  of  all  church  governments. 
Therefore,  as  Methodists,  we  believe  that  so  far  as  the  chances 
of  the  human  family  for  eternal  happiness  is  concerned,  we  are 
equal  by  creation,  equal  by  preservation,  and  equal  by  redemp 
tion,  and  that  all,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  who  are 
broughl  to  a  saving  knowledge  of  the  truth,  arc:  upon  a  princi- 
ple of  equality  required  to  comply  with  the  same  terms  and  con- 
ditions. 

2.  "If  the  responsibility  of  carrying  out  the  great  command, 
•Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel   to  every 


Congregational  Methodist  Church.  yy 

creature,'  devolves  upon  the  membership  in  general,  justice  to 
them,  as  accountable  beings,  demands  that  they  should  be  left 
free  to  discharge  their  moral  responsibilities  in  this  respect, 
according  to  the  light  which  God  may  impart  to  them,  and  not 
be  compelled  to  adopt  such  plans  as  may  be  suggested  or  dic- 
tated by  those  who  falsely  claim  to  rule  and  govern  them  by 
divine  right. 

3.  "We  regard  the  doctrine  that  the  ministry  rule  and  govern 
the  Church  by  divine  right,  as  not  only  unauthorized  by  the 
Word  of  God,  but  that  its  general  dissemination  among  the 
people,  and  especially  among  the  youth  of  our  land,  is  well  cal- 
culated, if  not  counteracted,  to  pervert  their  views  of  govern- 
ment generally,  and  might  end,  in  time,  in  a  desire  on  their  part 
to  apply  the  principle  to  our  civil  institutions— for  it  is  difficult 
to  maintain,  with  even  a  show  of  consistency,  that  a  principle 
inculcated  by  the  Bible,  and  which  works  well  in  the  Church 
government,  would  be  either  wrong,  or  work  injuriously  in  the 
affairs  of  State. 

4.  "The  doctrine  that  ihe  ministry  rule  and  govern  the  Church 
by  divine  right,  we  regard  as  wholly  irreconcilable  with  a  gov- 
ernment composed  of  itinerant  ministers  only;  for  it  is  admitted 
by  all  who  maintain  the  truth  of  such  a  doctrine,  that  it  is 
through  their  call  to  the  ministry  that  they  receive  this  right 
to  rule  and  govern;  and  yei  these  same  denominations  have 
had  the  hardihood  to  contravene  the  discharge  of  the  duties 
imposed  by  this  divine  authority,  by  the  adoption  of  such  reg- 
ulations in  church  polity  as  to  exclude  all  excepting  regular 
itinerants,  not  only  from  the  right  to  rule  and  govern,  but  even 
from  taking  the  pastoral  charge  of  churches.  We  regard  such 
degrading  distinctions  between  regularly  ordained  ministers, 
as  not  only  unauthorized  by  the  Word  of  God,  but  highly  det- 
rimental in  feeding  the  flock  of  Christ. 

5.  "A  Church  government,  one  branch  of  which  is  perma- 
nently vested  in  the  ministry  and  placed  beyond  the  reach  and 
control  of  the  people,  we  regard  as  maintaining  the  divine  right 
doctrine  in  a  modified  form;  for  if  the  Bible  makes  it  essential 
that  a  minister  should  hold  a  seat  in  all  the  organizations  of  the 
Church,  by  virtue  of  his  office  as  such,  he  evidently  holds  it  by 
divine  right. 

6.  "The  itinerant  system,  as  at  present  carried  out  by  differ- 


78  Origin  and  Early  History 

ent  branches  of  the  Methodist  Church,  we  regard  as  an  unsafe 
reliance  in  the  preservation  of  the  doctrines  of  our  beloved 
Methodism;  for  it  has  long  since  become  manifest,  that  the 
people  cannot  be  induced  to  attend  preaching  on  week-d  ty  ap- 
pointments, to  any  considerable  extent,  and  therefore  impossible 
to  keep  Methodist  doctrines  before  them;  and  but  for  the  inter- 
vention of  our  Church,  which  adopts  Saturday  and  Sunday 
preaching,  many  communities  would  be  left  under  the  influences 
of  doctrines  which  we  regard  as  detrimental  to  their  spiritual 
prosperity. 

7.  "The  plan  at  present  provided  for  in  our  Book  of  Discip- 
line, of  sending  out  missionaries,  in  our  own  as  well  as  foreign 
lands,  we  think  all  the  itinerancy  necessary  to  enable  us,  as  a 
denomination,  to  occupy  all  the  ground;  a  duty  which  we 
think  devolves  upon  every  branch  of  the  Christian  Church. 

This  able  report  was  written  by  a  layman  viz :  L. 
J.  Jones,  of  Mississippi,  now  the  editor  of  "  The 
Congregational  Methodist."  The  substance  of  the 
report  having  been  agreed  on  by  the  Committee, 
brother  Jones,  at  their  request,  put  it  in  shape — and 
when  he  presented  it  to  the  Committee  they  were 
so  well  pleased  with  it  that  they  adopted  it  without 
a  single  change. 

The  report  of  this  Committee  was  approved  by 
the  Convention,  and  with  these  fundamental  princi- 
ples thus  adopted  and  settled,  as  the  basis  of  the 
distinctive  features  by  the  representatives  of  the 
Congregational  Methodist  Church,  that  humble 
Church,  the  child  of  so  many  prayers,  of  so  many 
prayers  and  tears,  of  so  many  good  men,  took  its 
stand  among  the  Christian  denominations,  to  take 
part  in  the  great  battle  for  religion  and  right. 

And  with  these  fundamental  doctrines  thus  adop- 
ted, the  C.  M.  Church  has  ever  since  been  satisfied. 


Congregational  Methodist   Church.  79 

Seven  out  of  nine  of  the  good  men  who  composed 
that  Committee,  have  ended  their  mortal  strife,  and 
now  rest  from  their  labors,  two  alone  remain.  But 
their  work  still  lives  to-day,  twenty  thousand  Con- 
gregational Methodists  delight  in  the  record  of  that 
Committee  on  Revisals,  and  many  who  do  not  be 
long  to  the  C.  M.  Church  indorse  every  word  of 
those  seven  paragraphs.  Methodism  has  been  plan 
ted  where  an  Episcopal  or  a  semi  Episcopal  Method 
ist  church  could  not  have  lived,  many  useful  ministers 
who  would  never  have  submitted  to  the  degrading 
distinctions  in  other  branches  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  are  doing  valiant  service  for  God  in  the 
ranks  of  the  C.  M.  Church.  And  still  the  good  work 
goes  on.  But  my  task  is  done,  imperfectly  done 
though  it  may  be. 


CONSTITUTION 


—  OR 


SYSTEM  OF  GOVERNMENT. 


1.  This  Church  shall  be  called  the  Congregational  Methodist 
Church,  and  all  the  churches  in  her  connection  shall  be  congre- 
gational in  their  system  of  worship. 

2.  Christ,  only,  is  the  Head  of  the  Church,  and  the  Word  of 
God  is  the  only  rule  of  faith  and  conduct, 

3.  A  Christian  Church  is  a  society  of  believers  in  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  is  of  Divine  institution. 

4.  No  person  who  loves  God,  and  obeys  the  Gospel  of  Christ, 
ought  to  be  deprived  of  Church  membership. 

5.  Every  man  has  an  inalienable  right  to  private  judgment  in 
matters  of  religion,  and  all  have  an  equal  right  to  express  their 
opinions  in  any  way  that  will  not  violate  the  laws  of  God,  or 
the  rights  of  man. 

6.  Church  trials  shall  be  conducted  on  Gospel  principles,  only, 
and  no  minister  or  member  shall  be  excommunicated,  except  for 
immorality,  propagating  unscriptural  doctrine,  or  the  neglect  of 
duties  enjoined  by  the  Word  of  God. 

7.  The  Pastoral  or  Ministerial  office  and  duties  are  of  Divine 
appointment,  and  regularly  ordained  ministers  in  the  Church 
are  equal. 

8.  All  power  necessary  in  the  formation  of  rules  and  regula- 
tions of  government  and  discipline  is  inherent  in  the  ministers 
and  members  of  the  Church;  but  so  much  of  that  power  may  be 
delegated  from  time  to  time,  by  representation,  as  the  Church 
may  judge  necessary  and  proper. 


82  System  of  Government 

9.  The  Church  has  the  right  to  make  and  enforce  such  rules 
and  regulations  only  as  are  necessary  and  proper,  and  which 
shall  accord  with  the  Holy  Scriptures,  in  the  maintenance  of  the 
great  system  of  practical  Christianity. 

10.  It  is  the  duty  of  all  ministers  and  members  to  maintain 
godliness  and  to  oppose  all  moral  evil. 

11.  It  is  obligatory  on  ministers  of  the  Gospel  to  be  faithful 
in  the  discharge  of  their  ministerial  and  pastoral  duties,  and  also 
on  the  members  to  esteem  them  highly  for  their  work's  sake, 
and  to  render  them  a  righteous  compensation  for  their  labors. 

12.  No  person  shall  be  received  into  the  Church  without  the 
consent  of  a  majority  of  the  members  present. 

13.  The  Church  shall  have  the  right  to  elect  her  own  officers 
annually,  which  shall  be  an  Elder,  Class-leader,  Deacon  or 
Steward,  and  Clerk;  and  also  to  convene  her  membership  at 
pleasure  for  the  purpose  of  transacting  her  own  business;  and 
such  body,  when  convened,  shall  be  denominated  the  Church 
Conference. 

14.  The  Church  Conferences  shall  be  held  monthly,  and  on 
Saturday  before  a  certain  stated  Sabbath  which  may  best  suit 
the  views  and  interests  of  the  congregation,  unless  important 
business  render  a  called  session  necessary,  in  which  case,  the 
Church  may  meet  in  conference  at  pleasure. 

15.  The  Church  Conference  shall  have  the  right  and  power  to 
inquire  into  the  moral  conduct  of  her  members— to  call  before 
her  offenders,  and  witnesses  competent  to  testify,  and  also  to 
procure  such  other  evidence  as  may  be  necessary  in  the  final 
settlement  of  any  case;  to  admonish;  to  rebuke;  to  suspend;  to 
expel  from  the  Church;  to  receive  members  into  the  Church;  to 
recommend  suitable  persons  for  license  to  preach  or  exhort;  to 
elect  delegates  to  the  District  Conferences;  to  issue  appeals  and 
make  references  to  the  District  Conferences  when  necessary; 
and  to  watch  over,  as  well  as  pray  for,  the  well-being  and  pros- 
perity of  Zion. 

16.  Corresponding  and  visiting  brethren  shall  be  entitled  to 
seats  in  Church  Conference,  and  may  deliberate  and  advise,  but 
cannot  vote  in  the  decision  of  any  case  or  question. 

17.  It,  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Conference  to  keep  a  full  and 
fair  record  of  its  proceedings,  and  to  send  up  to  the  District 
Conference  all  appeals  and  references  properly  authenticated, 


Congregational  Methodist   Church,  83 

together  with  a  report  of  the  number  of  accessions,  expulsions, 
deaths,  and  numb 3 r  of  members  in  society,  and  any  other  infor- 
mation that  Should  come  before  that  body  at  each  session  or 
term. 

18.  The  Elder  or  pastor  of  the  church  shall  preside  as  <  hair- 
man  or  Moderation  at  each  Church  Conference,  unless  some- 
thing hinder  or  forbid,  in  which  case,  the  Conference  .shall  ap- 
point a  presiding  officer  for  the  occasion. 

19.  Each  session  shall  be  opened  and  closed  by  prayer. 


Of  District  Conferences. 

1.  The  Church  being  necessarily  divided  into  many  individual 
congregations  or  small  bodies,  it  being  necessary  to  maintain 
soundness  in  Doctrine  and  regularity  in  Discipline  throughout 
the  entire  connection,  and  each  and  all  alike  needing  mutual  aid 
and  counsel,  render  a  Conference  of  the  churches  necessary. 

2.  The  delegates  duly  elected  and  authorized  by  the  churches 
in  the  district  shall  compose  the  District  Conference;  and  each 
church  shall  be  entitled  to  one  delegate  for  every  twenty  mem- 
bers in  her  communion,  but  no  church  shall  be  without  the 
right  to  a  representation. 

3.  The  District  Conference  shall  have  the  right  and  power  to 
receive  appeals,  references,  etc.,  from  the  churches,  and  to 
issue  and  make  appeals  and  references  to  the  State  Conference; 
to  examine  all  persons  duly  recommended  by  their  church,  and 
to  ordain  or  license  them  to  preach  or  exhort;  and.  also,  to  renew 
license;  to  review  the  Church  records  and  to  approve,  or  dis- 
approve, as  the  nature  of  any  such  document  may  require;  to 
resolve  questions  touching  doctrine  or  discipline,  when  duly 
proposed;  to  condemn  opinions  and  practices  contrary  to  the 
word  of  truth  and  holiness;  to  visit  offending  or  implicated 
churches  and  ministers,  as  far  as  possible,  in  the  spirit  of  the 
Gospel,  ascertain  their  state,  redress  existing  evils,  and  restore 
harmony;  also,  to  procure  testimony,  and,  if  necessary,  bring 
the  implicated  party  or  parties  before  the  District  Conference 
for  trial;  to  admonish;  to  rebuke;  to  suspend;  to  expel  from 
the  Conference;  to  elect  their  own  Chairman  or  Moderator  and 
other  officers;  to  provide  for  the  spiritual  wants  of  any  church 
in  the  district  that  may  be  unable  to  procure  a  preacher,  and 


84  System  of  Government 

that  may  have  petitioned  the  District  Conference  for  aid  in  the 
matter;  this  aid  shall  be  afforded  as  far  as  facilities  will  warrant; 
to  receive  newly  constituted  churches  petitioning  for  admission; 
to  elect  delegates  to  the  State  Conference;  and,  in  faithfulness 
and  moderation,  to  consult  and  order  whatever  may  pertain  to 
and  promote  the  peace  and  spiritual  welfare  of  the  churches  in 
the  District  In  the  absence  of  a  District  Conference,  or  when 
it  may  not  be  in  session,  if  necessary,  two  or  more  Elders  may 
ordain  other  Elders. 

4.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  District  Conference  to  keep  a  full 
and  fair  record  of  its  proceedings,  and  to  send  up  to  the  State 
Conference  all  appeals  and  references  that  it  may  make  to  the 
State  Conference,  duly  authenticated;  together  with  a  report  of 
the  number  of  churches,  accessions,  expulsions,  ordinations, 
licenses,  deaths,  etc. ;  to  elect  delegates  to  the  State  Conference. 

5.  The  District  Conference  shall  meet  once  in  every  six 
months,  or  twice  in  each  year;  time  and  place  of  meeting  sub- 
ject to  the  decision  of  the  preceding  Conference. 

6.  Visiting  brethren  shall  be  received,  etc.,  as  in  Church  Con- 
ferences; and,  likewise,  prayer  in  the  opening  and  closing  of  each 
session. 


Of  State  Conferences. 

1.  It  being  wholly  impracticable  for  large  districts,  such  as 
States  and  Territories,  to  meet  in  one  body  by  direct  delegation 
from  the  churches,  and  unity  of  faith  and  practice  being  alike 
necessary  in  large  as  well  as  small  bodies,  render  the  formation 
and  perpetuity  of  State  Conferences  necessary. 

2.  The  delegates  elected  and  duly  authorized  by  the  respective 
districts  within  the  bounds  of  the  State  shall  compose  the  State 
Conference. 

3.  The  State  Conference  shall  have  the  right  and  power  to  re- 
view the  records  of  the  District  Conferences;  to  receive  and  de- 
cide upon  all  appeals  and  references  from  the  District  Confer- 
ences by  approval  or  censure,  as  the  case  may  require;  to  redress 
whatever  may  have  been  done  contrary  to  the  rules  and  regula- 
tions of  the  Church;  to  take  special  care  that  the  District  Con- 
ferences, observe  and  keep  the  constitution  of  the  Church  and 
Conference  inviolate;  to  change  or  form  new  districts  as  neces- 


Congregational  Methodist   Church.  85 

sity  inay  require;  to  supply  destitute  sections  of   the  State  with 
preaching,  as  far  as  facilities  will  warrant;  to  resolve  questions 

touching  doctrine  and  discipline  that  may  be  properly  proposed  ; 
to  elect  their  own  chairman  and  other  officers,  and  also  deleg 
to  the  General  Conference;  to  propose  to  the  General  Conference 
the  adoption  of  such  measures  as  will  promote  the  general  or 
common  interests  of  the  whole  Church;  to  consult  and  order 
whatever,  in  faithfulness,  it  may  judge  necessary  to  the  peace 
and  welfare  of  the  districts  and  churches  in  the  hounds  of  the 
State;  provided  that  nothing  so  ordered  shall  violate  the  consti- 
tution or  the  word  of  God. 

4.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  State  Conference  to  keep  a  full 
and  fair  record  of  all  its  proceedings,  and  send  up  to  the  General 
Conference  all  decisions  on  appeals  and  references  touching  doc- 
trine and  discipline  ;  together  with  a  report  of  districts,  churches, 
ministers,  members,  ordinations,  licenses,  missions,  accessions, 
expulsions,  deaths,  etc.,  with  such  other  information  as  should 
properly  come  before  that  body. 

5.  The  State  Conference  shall  meet  annually;  the  time  and 
place  always  subject  to  the  previous  conference.  Each  session 
shall  be  opened  and  closed  by  prayer. 


Of  the   General  Conference. 

1.  In  order  to  pronounce  the  same  object,  and  for  the  same 
reasons  why  District  and  State  Conferences  should  be  formed, 
the  entire  denomination  of  Congregational  Methodists  should 
unite  their  interests  and  efforts  throughout  the  United  States  of 
America.  The  body  assembled  to  represent  that  Union  shall  be 
denominated  the  General  Conference. 

2.  The  General  Conference  shall  be  composed  of  delegates 
elected  and  duly  authorized  by  the  State  Conferences. 

3.  The  General  Conference  shall  have  the  right  and  power  to 
receive  and  review  the  records  of  the  State  Conferences;  to  judge 
or  decide  on  the  correctness  of  decisions  on  appeals,  references, 
etc.,  npproving  or  censuring  as  the  case  may  require;  to  decide 
on  controversies  respecting  doctrine;  to  receive  new  State  Con- 
ferences that  may  apply  for  admittance;  to  establish  foreign 
missions;  to  correspond  with  foreign  churches;  to  establish  and 
circulate  periodicals  and  books  and  other  facilities  necessary  in 


86  System  of  Government 

spreading  religious  knowledge  and  establishing  the  kingdom  of 
Christ  in  the  world;  to  consult  and  order,  under  God,  whatever 
may  pertain  to  the  peace  and  spiritual  welfare  of  the  whole 
Church  and  accord  with  the  constitution  and  the  word  of  God. 
4.  The  General  Conference  shall  have  power  and  the  right  to 
make  ganeral  rules  and  regulations  for  our  churches,  under  the 
following  limitations  and  restiictions: 

1.  The  General  Conference  shall  not  change  nor  alter  any  part 
of  our  constitution,  so  as  to  do  away  wilhor  destroy  our  system 
of  worship. 

2.  It  shall  not  change,  revoke  nor  alter  our  articles  of  religion; 
it  shall  not  establish  any  new  standards  of  doctrine  contrary  to 
our  present  existing  and  established  standards. 

3.  It  shall  not  do  away  with  the  privileges  and  rights  of  our 
ministers  and  members  to  trial  by  the  church  or  committee;  and 
also  of  appeal.     The  above  restrictions  shall  remain  inviolate. 

4.  And  whatever  al'eratious,  additions  or  amendments  it  may 
make,  shall  be  done,  only,  as  follows  :  First  The  measure  must 
be  recommended  by  two-thirds  of  the  State  Conference.  Second, 
It  must  be  voted  for  by  two-thirds  of  the  members  of  the  General 
Conference.  Third,  That  vote  must  then  be  ratified  by  two-thirds 
of  the  District  Conferences. 

5.  The  General  Conference  shall  meet  quadrennially  or  once  in 
four  years;  time  and  place  determined  by  the  previous  Confer- 
ence. 

6.  The  present  boundaries  of  the  Congressional  Districts  in 
the  State  of  Georgia  shall  be  the  boundaries  of  the  District  Con- 
ferences in  said  State;  and  all  the  Conferences  shall  be  bounded 
by  the  limits  of  the  State  in  which  they  may  be  formed.  The 
General  Conference  shall  be  bounded  only  by  the  ulterior  limits 
of  the  United  States  and  territories.  The  rights  and  powers  not 
delegated  to  the  several  Conferences  by  this  Constitution,  and 
which  are  properly  connected  with  the  churches,  are  hereby  re- 
served for  the  churches  respectively. 


Of  License  to  Preach  and  Exhort. 

When  any  brother  feels  impressed  with  a  sense  of  duty  to 
preach  the  Gospel,  the  church  of  which  he  is  a  member,  may 
recommend  him  to  the  District  Conference  for  license  to  preach. 


Congregational  Methodist  Church.  87- 

And,  if  upon  examination,  he  be  found  to  possess  gifts,  graces 
and  usefulness  in  the  candid  judgment  of  the  Conference,  so  that 
the  Conference  regard  him  called  and  qualified  to  eoter  upon  the 
duties  of  the  Holy  Ministry,  license  shall  be  given  him  to  do  so . 
And  if  any  church  call  for  the  sei  vices  of  such  licentiate,  as  her 
pastor,  or  if  he  be  required  to  enter  at  once  on  afield  of  mission- 
ary labor,  he  may  be  ordained  according  to  the  provisions  of 
the  constitution. 

"Whenever  any  church  shall  be  satisfied  with  the  qualification 
and  usefulness  of  any  brother  in  the  exercise  of  the  gift  of  ex- 
hortation, the  same  steps  may  be  taken  to  procure  license  for 
said  office  as  for  the  Holy  Ministry. 


Of  Witnesses. 
All  persons  competent  and  credible  are  suitable  to  testify  in 
any  case  of  trial,  excepting  a  husband  or  wife,  who  shall  not  be 
compelled  to  testify  against  each  other  before  any  tribunal.  The 
capacity,  integrity  and  credibility  of  witnesses  is  left  to  the  judg- 
ment of  the  committee  or  Conference,  as  the  case  may  be. 


Of  References. 

1.  A  reference  is  a  representation  of  a  case  from  an  inferior  to 
a  superior  tribunal,  being  not  decided  as  yet— the  representation 
thereof  always  to  be  in  writing. 

2.  All  cases  which  are  without  precedent,  of  peculiar  delicacy, 
of  great  difficulty  or  division  of  sentiment  of  the  inferior  tribu- 
nal, or  on  which  for  any  reason  the  decision  of  the  next  higher 
tribunal  is  necessary  for  the  peace,  satisfaction  and  harmony  of 
all  concerned,  are  proper  subjects  of  reference. 

3.  References  are  either  partial  or  entire.  A  partial  reference 
is  that  in  which  the  tribunal  referring;  suspends  its  decision  for 
information  and  advice  on  certain  specified  points  to  aid  them 
in  making  a  proper  decision.  An  entire  reference  is  that  in 
which  the  case  is  sent  up  to  the  next  higher  tribunal  for  final  de- 
cision and  trial. 

Of  Appeals. 
1.  An  appeal  is  the  removal  of  a  case  already  decided,  from  an 
inferior  to  a  superior  Conference,  by  an  aggrieved  party,  having 
submitted  to  a  regular  trial  at  an  inferior  tribunal. 


88  System  of  Government 

2.  The  proper  grounds  for  an  appeal  are,  irregularity  in  the 
proceedings  of  atrial,  a  refusal  of  constitutional  rights  to  a  party 
on  trial,  the  rejection  of  proper  and  important  testimony  in 
whole  or  in  part,  manifest  prejudice,  mistake,  or  injustice  to  the 
party  in  the  prosecution  and  decision  of  the  case. 

3.  An  aggrieved  party  appealing  from  the  decision  of  any  tri- 
bunal, shall  give  written  notice  of  his  intention  within  ten  days 
thereafter,  by  lodging  in  the  hands  of  the  clerk  of  said  tribunal 
a  statement  of  his  reasons,  as  the  grounds  of  his  appeal.  The 
tribunal  appealed  from  shall  send  up  by  their  delegates  to  the 
tribunal  appealed  to,  all  the  testimony  and  documents  relating 
to  the  matter  of  the  appeal.  The  judicatory  appealed  to,  in  her 
regular  session,  shall  read  the  decision,  or  part?  of  the  decision 
or  parts  of  the  decision  appealed  from,  with  the  assigned  reasons 
of  the  appellant  in  the  case,  with  a  full  and  fair  presentation  of 
the  whole  proceedings  of  the  inferior  Conference,  including  all 
the  testimony  and  their  decision.  The  original  parties  shall  have 
a  fair  and  impartial  hearing,  the  representatives  of  the  Confer- 
ence appealed  from  shall  have  full  privilege  to  state  the  reasons 
and  grounds  of  their  decision.  After  all  parties  shall  have  had 
an  impartial  hearing  and  defense,  they  shall  retire  from  the  Con- 
ference, and  the  Conference  shall  proceed  to  action  as  in  other 
cases  of  importance. 

4.  The  decision  of  the  Conference  may  confirm  the  decision 
of  the  inferior  Conference,  if  it  appear  correct;  but  if  it  appear 
incorrect,  may  reverse  and  send  back  for  amendment,  or  for  a 
new  trial,  as  occasion  may  require ;  which  decision  shall  be 
final. 

5.  If  an  appellant  fail  to  prosecute  his  appeal  after  the  same 
has  been  entered,  it  shall  be  considered  as  abandoned,  and  the 
first  decision  in  his  case  shall  be  final. 

6.  Delegates  from  the  Conference  appealed  from  cannot  vote 
in  the  Conference  appealed  to,  on  any  question  touching  the 
case.  

Of  bringing  Elders,  Preacliers  and  Exhorter*  to  trial. 

When  any  Minister,  Preacher  or  Exhorter  is  under  report  of 
being  guilty  of  some  crime  expressly  forbidden  in  the  word  of 
God  as  an  unchristian  practice,  sufficient  to  exclude  from  the 
kingdom  of  grace  and  glory,  let  the  church  to  which  the  of- 


Congregational  Methodist  Church.  S9 

fender  may  belong  (or  a  committee,  as  the  accused  may  prefer,) 
bring  the  accused  and  the  accuser  face  to  face  in  terms  of  the 
law.  If  the  person  be  clearly  convicted,  he  shall  be  suspended 
from  all  official  service  in  the  church  till  the  forthcoming  Dis- 
trict Conference,  at  which  his  case  shall  be  fully  considered  and 
determined.  If  the  accused  and  accuser  cannot  be  brought  face 
to  face,  and  the  supposed  delinquent  evade  trial,  it  shall  be  re 
ceivcd  as  presumptive  proof  of  guilt;  and  out  of  the  mouth  of 
two  or  three  witnesses  he  shall  be  condemned;  yet,  even  in  that 
case,  the  District  Conference  shall  reconsider  and  determine  the 
whole  matter.  The  same  rule  to  be  observed  in  other  respects 
as  already  defined. 

Terms  of  Meinhership. 

1.  There  is  only  one  condition  required  of  those  who  apply 
for  membership  in  said  Church,  namely,  a  desire  to  flee  from 
the  wrath  to  come  and  be  saved  by  grace  through  faith  in  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  with  an  avowed  determination  to  walk  in 
the  commandments  of  God  blameless.  But  those  who  may  con- 
tinue therein  must  give  evidence  of  their  desire  and  determina- 
tion by  conforming  to  such  rules  of  moral  discipline  as  the 
word  of  God  requires. 

2.  There  shall  be  a  probationary  state,  in  which  persons  shall 
be  held  as  candidates  for  full  membership, by  a  compliance  with 
the  terms  thereof.  The  terms  of  probation  shall  be  six  months, 
but  all  ministers  and  members  coming  fr^m  other  orthodox 
Churches  in  good  standing,  shall  be  received  into  full  connec- 
tion. No  person  having  been  expelled  from  any  other  orthodox 
Church  shall  be  received,  until  the  applicant  first  become  recon- 
ciled to  the  Church  from  whence  they  were  expelled,  or  have  a 
committee  of  not  less  than  three  appointed  by  the  Church,  to 
examine  into  their  case  and  report  to  the  next  Conference. 


Of  Offenses. 

1.  All  offenses  condemned  by  the  word  of  God  as  being  suffi- 
cient to  exclude  a  person  from  the  kingdom  of  Grace  and  Glory 
shall  subject  ministers,  preachers  and  members  to  expulsion 
from  the  Church. 

2.  The  neglect  of  duties  required  by  the  word  of  God,  or  the 


90  System  of  Government. 

indulgence  of  sinful  words  and  temper,  shall  subject  the  offen- 
der to  admonition,  and  if  persisted  in,  to  expulsion. 

3.  For  preaching  or  disseminating  unscriptural  doctrines 
affecting  the  essential  interests  of  the  Christian  system,  minis- 
ters, preachers  or  members  shall  be  liable  to  admonition,  and,  if 
incorrigible,  to  expulsion;  provided  always  that  no  minister, 
preacher  or  member  shall  be  expelled  for  disseminating  matter 
of  opinion  alone,  except  they  be  such  as  are  condemned  by  the 
word  of  God. 

4.  Privileges  of  accused  ministers  and  members.  In  all  cases 
of  accusation  the  accused  shall  be  furnished,  by  the  proper  au- 
thority, with  a  copy  of  the  charges  and  specifications,  at  least 
ten  days  before  the  time  of  trial.  The  accused  shall  have  the 
right  to  challenge  and  privilege  of  examining  witnesses  at  the 
time  of  trial,  and  making  his  defense. 

5.  The  making,  selling,  buying  or  drinking  of  ardent  spirits 
as  a  beverage,  shall  subject  church  members  to  be  dealt  with  by 
the  Church 


Officers  of  a  Church. 

The  officers  of  a  church  are  an  Elder,  one  or  more  Class- 
leaders,  a  Steward  or  Deacon,  and  a  Clerk. 

1.  The  duty  of  an  Elder  shall  be  to  preside  as  chairman  in 
Conference,  to  take  the  pastoral  charge  of  the  church, and  to  fur- 
nish the  same  with  preaching  at  the  stated  appointments. 

2.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Class-leaders  to  hold  church - 
meetings  as  often  as  may  be  thought  proper,  to  cite  offending 
members  to  trial,  and  to  seat  the  congregation. 

3.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Steward  or  Deacon  to  attend  to 
the  financial  affairs  of  the  church,  to  provide  the  elements  of 
the  Lord's  Supper,  to  see  that  the  church  house  be  kept  decent, 
and  to  have  the  same  furnished  with  lights  on  all  proper  occa- 
sions. 

4.  It  shall  be  the  duly  of  the  Clerk  to  attend  all  Conferences 
of  the  church  and  to  minute  its  proceedings  in  a  book  to  be 
kept  for  that  purpose,  and  register  in  the  same  the  names  of 
all  members,  distinguishing,  by  separate  columns,  the  time  of 
joining,  deaths,  removals  by  letter,  expulsions;  write  and  sign 
all  communications  for  the  church. 


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McDaniel 

The   origin  and  early  h: story  of 

the  i 
churc 

on$regational  Methodist 

h. 

SKg** 


